Into the another World
by shezaei-neko
Summary: She sees her in her dreams and wants to meet her. Two girls, two worlds, their story. Natsuki X Shizuru pairing. Mixture of Mai Hime-Otome and another. AU story. Co-authored with Leebot. - Rating Changed - UPDATED! CHAPTER 9 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**Hello people! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait; I had a terrible writer's block and no time to write new stories or new chapters. So, to make you up for my long absence and waiting, I bring you this new story. I wanted this one to be pure fluff and smut since I don't really like dramatic or angsty stuff (as you can see I mostly write romantic and fluffy pieces, I've just written one angsty fic.)….but for some reason it turned out as an epic fantasy…But, you know? This story is very special. Why? Well, this fic will be co-authored by me and the great leebot-sensei. Also this piece will be my first fic to be rated M (in future chapters), and you know what that means. 

This fic is a mixture of Mai Hime, Mai Otome (manga and anime), and another one. It isn't exactly a cross-over, although I got tons of inspiration and references from it. (Can you tell which anime is it?)

That would be all for now. I hope you like it, and remember this one is an AU with characters from both series. Don't forget to review and ENJOY!

Many thanks to leebot-sensei for beta-ing this story. 

Disclaimer: Everything is property of their respective companies and authors. 

* * *

**Into the another World**** – Chapter 1**

- "Who are you?"

Said a girl in a whisper to the figure standing in front of her; she couldn't see the features clearly, yet she could see how the figure turned around to face her. Only then could she see that this person, who was most likely a girl, had something beautiful coming from her back. 

- "Those are…"

At that moment an alarm sounded, waking the girl from her light slumber but deep dream. Opening her ruby eyes she sat on the mattress as she brushed some of her chestnut bangs from her face. 

- "That dream again…" – said the girl sighing, rubbing her eyes slightly. – "Who can be that…girl?"

She'd been having the same dream for almost six months; she couldn't explain the reason. Was it a premonition? An illusion? Or merely just that, a dream? But the truth was that it didn't bother her; in fact she always hoped to have this dream again at night, because she had fallen in love with this mysterious person of her dreams. 

Getting off of the bed she went to the bathroom to take a shower, and then she got ready to go to school. After some minutes she left the dorms and headed to the main building. On the way, she couldn't stop thinking about that dream. She wished that it would come true someday, however it'd be quite impossible, given the fact that the girl in her dreams had…she was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard someone calling for her. Well, she knew it was her, because only one person called her that way. 

- "Bubuzuke onna!"

- "Ara, Suzushiro-san. Good morning." – looking at the person beside this loud girl she said – "Good morning Kikukawa-san."

- "Good morning Fujino-san" – replied a girl with glasses. 

- "Now Fujino, would you stop expanding out and…"

- "It's 'spacing', Haruka-chan" 

- "That's exactly what I said, didn't I?"

- "Don't worry Suzushiro-san" – said the chestnut haired girl, interrupting the loud blonde girl – "I'll be sure to have them by the end of class hours."

- "Fine, then you can leave everything to me."

- "As always Suzushiro-san, you're very trustworthy."

They kept walking for some minutes until they made it to their respective classrooms. The blonde girl was in the same class as the chestnut haired one. They were the first ones to arrive, leaving both of them alone. The blonde one saw the other girl sigh a bit. 

- "Is anything bothering you, Shizuru?"

- "Not at all Haruka." 

The girl said smiling a bit; they only called each other this way when they were alone. 

- "You know that's not true. Is it…….because of that dream again?"

- "What made you think that?"

- "You've been like this since I asked you 5 months ago. I might not speak correctly, but I can tell that your behavior hasn't changed since then."

- "So you noticed…"

- "Yeah, after all I'm quite perspective in this stuff."

- "You mean 'perceptive'?"

- "Whatever…" – Haruka looked at Shizuru and asked – "So, what do you plan to do?"

- "About what?"

- "Your dream!" – said Haruka shouting but miraculously not in her usual level.

- "What can I do? Is just a dream, isn't it?"

- "Maybe. But it is always said that if you wish it with all your heart, it'll come true, right?"

Shizuru was about to reply when someone slid the door open. Before Haruka got away from Shizuru she whispered in a very low voice, that no one would have thought Haruka was able to do. 

- "Whatever you decide, I'll back up your decision… okay? No matter what it is."

Some minutes passed; more students arrived, soon filling all the spots left in the room, and the bell announcing the beginning of class rang. The classes passed without trouble until lunch time. Haruka left the room when Kikukawa Yukino came to pick her up. Shizuru went to the council room to have her lunch and finish her work; also in there, no one dared to disturb her; not even her rabid fan girls. She was fed up with them; she had many since she could remember, and it seemed that the number increased with the years; and not only the fan girls or admirers, also the responsibilities and what everyone expected from her too. Was this what she really wanted? Even if she had a whirlpool of doubts in her heart by that moment, she did her work at the council and finished before the end lunch break bell rang. She returned to the classroom and sat on her place, ready to take the rest of the lectures of that day. 

Finally the classes ended. Shizuru gave Haruka all the finished work; Haruka took it and said. 

- "Thanks Fujino. Now you can go and sit your tea"

- "'Sip', Haruka-chan"

- "That's what I said Yukino."

- "Ara, I think I'll take your word Suzushiro-san."

- "Yeah, yeah. Come Yukino." – said Haruka walking in the direction of the council.

- "Alright Haruka-chan. See you tomorrow Fujino-san." – replied the girl walking behind her friend. 

Shizuru gave a small nod and, taking her belongings, she left the classroom and then the building. She was about to start walking in the direction of the dorms but she decided to go to the tea ceremony club house. It was almost the end of the school year, so luckily, no one was there, however she, being the Student Council President had unlimited access to any building or room in the school. Taking the master key from her pocket she entered, but instead of going to one of the rooms to prepare her green addictive substance, she went to the stone garden that was in the back yard of the house. Standing in the middle of the garden with her bag in hands she closed her eyes and thought about the words Haruka had said to her earlier that day. 

- 'But it is always said that if you wish it with all your heart, it'll come true, right?'

- "Could that mean that…I haven't wished enough for it to come true?" – said Shizuru in a whisper. – "But I do wish to meet you. No matter where you are or who you are. I want to be there with you, because I've fallen for you." 

It was dusk, but the moon was already out. In that moment, the clouds that were covering the moon moved to the sides, letting the silver rays of the moon fall on the chestnut haired girl, standing in the stone garden in that moment. The rays of the moon were more sparkling than ever, and were shining in an unseen way; creating a pillar of light; it involved the delicate frame of the girl. It lasted just a couple of seconds but when it dimmed, there was no one standing in the garden. 

* * *

A girl was walking in the halls of an abandoned building that looked like the ruins of an old temple from an ancient culture. With weapon in hand and a torch she made her way thru the halls. She had to make sure that nothing that was left was useful, also if she found something, she had to retrieve it. She couldn't let anything "like that" to happen again. 

She entered a room; this one had more decorations than the others, this only meant that this one was a ceremonial room. At the sides there where monoliths with some symbols written on them, they were aligned making a path that led to the end of the room, where an altar, or what was part of an altar stood. Getting closer with careful steps, the raven haired girl approached to the altar. She saw more inscriptions carved on the stones. Placing her hand over one small stone she tried to read the strange symbols but then the symbols began to shine. Not only had the ones from the altar, but also those that were on the monoliths; a powerful and shining light covered the altar in just a second. The torch fell from her hands as she gave some steps back a bit startled. This had not happened the other times she had been here. She took her weapon with both hands and took her fighting pose, ready to attack to whatever came to her from that light. When the light faded, she was more than surprised to see what was standing there: it was a girl, and a beautiful one nonetheless; who began to fall to the ground. In a swift movement she ran to the girl and caught her in her arms before she hit the floor; apparently the girl was unconscious. 

The raven haired girl didn't know what to do with her; but she didn't have much time to think. As soon as she caught the girl, the entire temple began to shake violently, the roof was about to collapse over them. She quickly put her weapon away and took the girl, lifting her, and ran to the exit as fast as she could. Some small rocks hit her on the face and in her body, but she didn't care, she made sure to protect the girl in her arms with her own body. After she crossed the entrance, the temple collapsed. Dropping herself on the ground she let a relief sigh come from her lips.

- "Phew…that was close…"

She looked down at the girl in her arms. The girl moved slightly and half opening her eyes, she looked at the raven haired girl, staring at emerald eyes.

- "Beautiful…" – mumbled the girl, passing out again. 

- "Oi! Come on! Wake up! Are you o.k!" – said the younger girl shaking the other girl a bit.

- "Natsuki!" – a voice shouted. 

Turning her head to see the owner of the voice she replied. 

- "Mai…" – and looking at her companion she said – "Mikoto…"

- "Natsuki, are you alright?" – said an orange haired and busty girl. 

- "Yeah I'm fine. Just a bit dusty"

- "Thank goodness." 

The other girl, Mikoto, who had black spiky hair, was kneeling by Natsuki's side, sniffing the girl Natsuki had in her arms. 

- "Natsuki, who's this?" – asked Mikoto.

- "Who?" – asked Mai looking down. 

Mai and Mikoto stared and the girl and then at Natsuki, who hadn't let go off the girl all this time. Noticing this, a blush soon spread on her face; she quickly laid the girl on the floor. 

- "It's not what it looks like!"

- "Really?"

- "Mai…" – said Natsuki in an angry tone. 

- "Okay, okay. I'll drop it. But, really, who's this Natsuki?"

- "I don't know…I found her inside before the temple collapsed."

- "Is she one of 'them'?" – asked Mikoto. 

- "I don't think so…" – replied Natsuki taking off her trench coat to cover the girl laying on the floor. – "Her clothes. Are different from ours." 

- "Maybe it's a new type." 

- "Maybe…but I simply don't think she's one of them."

- "How can you be that sure?" – asked Mai grabbing one of her weapons.

- "I just feel it Mai. I…I can't explain it…" 

- "Okay, I trust you. If you, the ever untrusting Natsuki, says so." – said Mai putting her weapon back. Natsuki glared at her with annoyed eyes. – "I'll shut up now."

- "I also don't think she's dangerous." – replied Mikoto. 

- "And why is that Mikoto?" – asked Mai curiously. 

- "Because she smells sweet." 

The comment made the other two girls laugh a bit. 

- "Well, I think we should get going Mikoto." – said Mai to the smaller girl, who immediately jumped to the girl's back and hung there like a koala. – "Will you come with us Natsuki?"

- "Thanks Mai, but I think this is where we get apart. You need to go back to your homeland; after all you have business to take care of, just like me. Also…" – Natsuki looked down to see the unconscious girl. – "I'd like to know more about her." 

- "You're right." – stretching out her hand she said – "It's been good to meet you Natsuki. I hope we can see each other again now that peace has finally come."

- "I hope that too Mai. Take care" – replied the raven haired girl taking the offered hand. 

- "Sure, you too."

- "Oh! I almost forgot." – Mikoto said, taking something out from her pocket – "Here Natsuki."

- "Mikoto…this…" – said the girl taking the item. 

- "I found it but I didn't have a time to return it to you, until now." 

- "Thanks Mikoto. It means a lot."

- "See you Natsuki." 

The couple began to walk away in the direction of the woods, heading to where their homeland was.

Natsuki was left there with the girl. The sun was setting and even if there were peaceful times now; she had to find a shelter for them, but she couldn't go too far, especially when the girl hadn't regained conscious yet; the only thing she could do now was gather some wood and start a small bonfire to keep the beasts away. With that idea in mind, she went to look for it, hoping that the girl would be safe while she was absent. 

* * *

She opened her eyes; blinking a couple of times to focus. It was already night; she could see the stars on the nocturnal sky, also the moon; or more specifically two moons shining with their silver light…

- "Wait a second…two?" – the girl thought. Getting seated quickly she looked at the sky again, then at another source of light on front of her; a bonfire. – "Where am I?" - she tried to cover herself when she noticed the cloth that was covering her – "And whom is this?" 

A voice interrupted her thoughts. 

- "Oh, I see you're awake now."

A girl with emerald eyes was walking to her with small branches and fruits in her hands. The first thing that Shizuru thought was that she was a goddess; her long black hair with blue shades, her deep green eyes, her white skin; and her clothes made her look sexier. The girl was just wearing a white tank top, black slacks and black tactical boots; and it seemed that the sleeveless trench coat was hers too. 

Coming closer to Shizuru, the girl bent down and picked up her trench coat without saying a word and took a seat on the ground across Shizuru. Silence engulfed them, and it was especially uncomfortable for Shizuru, she didn't know how to begin a conversation with a stranger in a world different from hers. Maybe that was a good thing to begin with; ask where she was. 

- "Ehm…"

- "Are you feeling better?" – interrupted the girl. 

- "Yes, I'm fine now." – replied the girl quickly.

- "Good."

- "Can I ask you something……ehm…"

- "Kuga…Natsuki Kuga….uhm…"

- "Fujino Shizuru. It's a pleasure Kuga-san."

- "Call me Natsuki…"

- "Only if you call me Shizuru."

- "Fine."

- "So…Natsuki, where is this place?"

- "We are currently in the country of Torushina, near the borders of Chesario and Basram." – explained Natsuki. 

- "Well, that kind of information is good to know but…"

- "But…?"

- "What is exactly this place? Why are two moons on the sky?"

- "What kind of questions are these? There have been always two moons in Earl…" 

- "Earl?"

- "Yes, we are in Earl…where did you think…." – trailed off Natsuki – "Oh…so I was correct, you are not from here" – she looked at Shizuru and asked. – "So where are you from?"

- "From Earth."

- "Earth?"

- "Yes." – Shizuru looked at the night sky and said – "In fact, my planet looks like that moon of yours, the bigger one." 

- "No way! That one is called 'The guiding star', well, we know that is not exactly a star but…I never imagined…" – said Natsuki totally perplexed at what Shizuru just had told her. – "But how…!"

- "Ara, Natsuki. I don't think is very polite to fill a stranger with questions." – said Shizuru in a teasing tone. 

What she didn't expect was the reaction she obtained from the girl in front of her; who blushed madly and frowned. 

- "Tch, but I want to know." – replied the young girl with a pout.

- "Soooo cute!" – thought Shizuru while saying – "Then, what if I answer one of your questions and then you answer one of mine?"

- "Okay, that's fair."

- "I begin." – said Shizuru. Natsuki was about to complain and interrupt her but Shizuru was faster – "How did I end up here?"

Natsuki was taken aback; she wanted to ask Shizuru the very same question. She didn't have an answer. Shizuru noticed how Natsuki kept silent for a while.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Sorry…but I don't know how. I found you in an old temple; you came out from a strange light in an altar of those ruins. That's all I know." – said Natsuki, and then looking directly at the girl's ruby eyes she said – "But don't worry, I'll find a way to return you to your planet."

- "Ara, is Natsuki so eager to get rid off of me?"

- "Idiot! I didn't say it for that!...Whatever…now it's my turn. What are those clothes you are wearing?" – said Natsuki pointing at Shizuru. 

- "Ara, does Natsuki find them strange? Do you prefer to see me without them?"

- "What! No!" – screamed Natsuki blushing furiously.

- "Fufufu…Natsuki is so much fun to tease."

- "Stop teasing me and just answer!" 

- "Fine, fine. This clothes are a school uniform. In the Earth, at schools usually the students wear the same uniform, but this one is different from the rest. This one is for the Student Council President."

- "You mean you are a president!" 

- "Yes, sort of."

- "So you are an important person in your land?"

- "Well, yes, you could say so." – smiled bitterly Shizuru.

- "You look young to have such an important position."

- "That's probably because I'm only seventeen." – replied Shizuru cupping her cheek with her hand. 

- "What!"

- "Did Natsuki expect me to be an old hag?"

- "No I just…" – replied Natsuki a bit embarrassed. After all, who was she to be saying that?

- "Now my turn. What is that strange thing Natsuki is holding in her belt?"

- "You mean this?" – said Natsuki holding the object. Shizuru nodded. – "This is Duran." – she took it out from it's scabbard – "It's a gunblade; a weapon from my home country." – she handed Shizuru the object – "You can't find them anywhere else; unless it was a special request from someone."

- "The hilt is a revolver but the rest is a blade. I've never seen something like this before." – said Shizuru with awe, taking the weapon with both hands analyzing it. The blade had a deep shade of blue, embellished with symbols of what looked like a wolf on both sides of the blade; and it was so clear that it almost seemed made of crystal. 

- "Don't you have them in your planet?" 

- "No, it's only one thing; a revolver or a blade, but never both of them. Can it fire projectiles?" – asked Shizuru. 

- "Fire projectiles?" – asked Natsuki raising an eyebrow.

- "Yes, you know, like a pistol." 

- "I don't think I understand what you're saying."

- "Mmmhh…so I guess you don't have fire arms here in Earl." – said Shizuru returning Natsuki her gunblade. 

- "I think so." – said Natsuki absentmindedly retrieving her weapon; taking a fruit she offered it to Shizuru – "Say, are you hungry?"

- "Yes, thank you." – replied the girl taking the strange fruit. 

- "Sorry that I only can offer you this, we are in the middle of Torushina's woods, better known as the Forest of Silence. Here you can't get much stuff."

- "And why are we here? You don't look comfortable in this place." - asked Shizuru with concern. 

- "Well…luckily for you, you dropped in Earl now that the first great war has finished." – said Natsuki in a solemn tone. – "Many battles took place here."

- "A war?"

- "Yes. It ended not long ago. The temple where I found you was a base of the enemy. I was inspecting it to make sure nothing was left. That's why we are here now."

- "Is that so. And is Natsuki's home near this land?"

- "Not really, going by foot, Aries is almost five blue moons away from here."

- "Can you tell me more about your land Natsuki?"

- "I…maybe some other time…" – said Natsuki in a serious tone. 

- "We have all night…" – insisted Shizuru.

- "Not now okay! I don't want to talk about it" – replied Natsuki with an angry glare in her eyes. 

- "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to make Natsuki angry" – replied Shizuru with an apologetic smile.

- "Why is she apologizing? We don't even know each other that much but…she means it…" – thought Natsuki. Then she replied – "Whatever…you better try to sleep now. The travel will be tiring." – said Natsuki lying on the ground turning her back to Shizuru.

- "Okay. Good night Natsuki." 

Shizuru was laying on the floor, beginning to curl in a fetal position to keep some warmth in her body when she saw a piece of clothing falling in her direction; it was Natsuki's trench coat. She was about to thank her but the raven haired girl had already turned her back facing Shizuru again. The chestnut haired girl just smiled at the action and covered herself with the cloth.

TBC…

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There you go. I hope you liked it. 

Don't forget to review and expect the next chapter really soon. Don't forget to write your answer if you know the other anime I was referring to. Thanks for reading! 

See you around!

Shezaei neko


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**I promised you that the next chapter would be out really soon, didn't I? So here it is: chapter two. Now then, all the people that answered 'Escaflowne' guessed correctly. It really inspired me to create this fic; so if you have not seen this awesome series, then you've missed a great title. I highly recommend it. And don't worry if you haven't watched it; you don't need to in order to understand the plot of this story, okay?

Hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review or the authors will feel sad. 

Now on to the story ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Everything is property of their respective authors. 

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**Into the another World – Chapter 2**

She was there again, with that girl. She couldn't see her features clearly yet, but at least she could see what grew up from the back of the girl when she turned to face her; were wings; as white as the snow and beautifully shaped as the ones of an angel. Then, all of a sudden, she was falling backwards; she was afraid. In that moment the girl with angel wings began to ran, jumping in her direction, reaching her hand out to catch her; when their hands were about to touch a voice called her.

- "Hey sleepy head! Wake up, we have to get moving" – said the voice near her shaking her by the shoulder. 

Still feeling sleepy she opened her eyes lazily, trying to focus and look at the one who interrupted her dream. It was Natsuki, who was kneeling by her side, trying to wake her up. Finally, Shizuru sat straight and handed Natsuki her trench coat thanking her while standing up; at what Natsuki only replied with what sounded like a small growl. 

Once they were ready, Natsuki began to lead the way. 

- "Stay close to me. This woods are tricky" – said Natsuki. 

- "Perhaps you should carry me in your back so I won't get lost?" – teased Shizuru. 

- "Idiot! I won't do that! Just keep walking!" – replied Natsuki with a tomato face and frowning. 

- "May I ask where we are going?" 

- "To the capital, we need food and a vehicle…unless you want to walk all the way." 

- "Ehm…Natsuki?"

- "Yeah?"

- "Don't you think that my clothes will draw a lot of attention from the citizens?" 

Natsuki stared at Shizuru from head to toe and sighing she took off her trench coat and handed it to Shizuru again. 

- "Use it until I get you some clothes" – she was about to start walking again, when she got near Shizuru and took her school bag. – "And I'll carry this. It'll be easier for you to keep the pace."

Shizuru noticed a small blush on Natsuki's cheeks and not wasting an opportunity to tease the other girl she said. 

- "Ara, Natsuki is very gentle. Ookini." – Shizuru put herself the trench coat, and then she said – "By the way Natsuki."

- "Yeah?"

- "It seems that your trench coat is torn on the back."

- "Uh?"

-"Yes, two big tears in the middle, do you want me to sew them up later?" 

- "Oh no no…it's fine."

- "Why not?"

- "It's…easier to move around that way…now come on, we need to go."

Shizuru decided not to ask or say anything more about it; so with that the two began to walk again in the direction of the city. 

After leaving the woods without much trouble, the path to the city was easy to cross, so, a couple of hours after midday they finally reached the capital. Shizuru was amazed by the sight after crossing the main gate. It looked like an European medieval town; the merchants selling their items, blacksmiths working in their workshops, the children playing and running on the streets; but what impressed her the most where the flying carriages. They were pulled by horses but the carriage didn't have wheels, it was floating. Really it was an unusual sight for her, it seemed so magical. Also she understood why in Earl they didn't have firearms; the atmosphere was more medieval than futuristic, the opposite of what she had thought. 

- "Oi Shizuru!" – Natsuki called her, standing some steps away waiting for her.

Shizuru walked with fast steps reaching Natsuki. 

- "Sorry, I got distracted…"

- "By the carriage?"

- "Yes."

- "So you don't have them in your planet." 

- "We do, but they don't float." 

- "Well, I guess the sight of seeing them for the first time must be quite impressive then."

- "How can you do that? Is it some technology or magic?" – asked Shizuru. 

- "Neither."

- "Neither!" – asked Shizuru in disbelief – "Then…how?"

- "It's thanks to nature." 

- "To nature?"

- "Yeah, here in Earl, we have some special stones that have the property to float or levitate." – began to explain Natsuki – "It's thanks to that stones that the carriage can fly because they are attached to the bottom of it. We also use those stones for vessels and other stuff." 

- "I never imagined something like this." – said Shizuru amazed.

- "Come on. We have to hurry." – said Natsuki beginning to walk again. 

- "Hurry? We've just arrived and it's just past midday." 

- "I know, but I want to be sure that we'll still find him here."

- "Him?"

- "You'll see." 

Shizuru walked by Natsuki's side. It was good that she was wearing Natsuki's trench coat or just as she had thought, she'd be drawing a lot of attention. Even by wearing it she drew some surprised glances from some people; Natsuki also received some. After a couple of minutes walking on the streets and crossing small alleys they made it to what looked like a pub. Natsuki entered and Shizuru followed close behind. The pub would have been empty if it weren't for the owner and another man that was sitting in a table at the corner of the place. Natsuki recognized the man and smiling began to walk towards him. Shizuru was standing by the door, not sure of what to do when Natsuki called her with a movement of her hand pointing a seat next to hers. Shizuru got close and took the seat aside Natsuki. Once Shizuru took her place the raven haired girl began to talk. 

- "Oi Yamada, it's been a while uh?"

The man raised his sight and looked at Natsuki with a confident smile on his face. 

- "It sure has Kuga-ojou-san." – replied the man. 

Shizuru noticed how Natsuki flinched a bit at how the man called her. 

- "To what do I owe this pleasure?" – said the man. 

- "Stop fooling around Yamada. I need a favor."

- "Hoo…always straight to the point aren't you?" – the man adjusted his glasses – "So, how can I help you this time?"

- "I need a good and fast vehicle or beast for two." 

- "I can get it quite easily but…" – he paused a moment – "…I know you came here for more than that." 

- "Perceptive as ever…" – grinned Natsuki. – "I need information…"

- "About what?"

- "The ancient ruins in the Forest of Silence; those that used to be the base of Searrs Army."

- "Well, you know almost all the info that exists about it." – replied the man. 

- "Yes that's true, but maybe I'm missing something."

- "All I know is that there were making the new equipment for their 'ultimate combat soldiers' better known as 'Valkyries', of course everything with the help of the Artai Empire. Also they were testing some new machines and armors for what would have been the new 'Orphans', their code name 'Slaves'. But thanks to the alliance made by all the nations, their plans were stopped before they could produce them in mass." 

- "Do you know if in there or any other base they were experimenting with something related to 'The guiding star'?"

The man took his chin with his hand, thinking for a minute before responding. 

- "No, I don't think so. All the information regarding to the guiding star was considered by them just a myth; and they weren't interested in what they called 'Fairy tales'. They only cared about science and how they could use it to control Earl. Why are you asking this? You too never cared much about what was said of the guiding star." 

- "Maybe I have changed my mind" – answered Natsuki giving a quick glance to Shizuru. 

Yamada noticed it, and thought if it was possible that this other girl could be…

- "And, how do you plan to pay for this information and the favor, Kuga-ojou-san?"

- "Ehm…well…I thought I could pay you in a couple of moons…" – babbled Natsuki. 

- "Sorry but if you want good stuff; you'll have to pay now. I can always accept your gunblade as a payment." 

- "What! I won't give you Duran." 

- "Too bad." – the man began to stand up – "Then good luck in getting what you need."

Before the man left, Shizuru; who had been silent during the entire conversation, spoke. 

- "Wait a minute" – the man looked at her – "Maybe I have something that might interest you."

- "Really?" – said Yamada with interest.

- "Shizuru! What are you doing?" – said Natsuki in a low yet shocked and angry tone.

- "Getting us a good transportation…I hope." 

- "But…"

- "Trust me Natsuki."

Yamada took his seat again and looking at Shizuru he asked. 

- "So young lady, what can you have that may interest me, or that is good enough to pay for your request?"

- "Natsuki, my bag please". 

Natsuki handed Shizuru her school bag. The ruby eyed girl opened it and took out all its contents, placing them on the table. Natsuki and Yamada were surprised with the items they were seeing, they've never seen something like those things before. Shizuru was smiling; it was a funny thing to see people totally amazed by what she considered were common things on her planet. 

- "Is there anything you are interested in?" –asked Shizuru. 

- "You bet young lady." 

- "Then chose what you want."

- "Really? No matter what it is?" – asked the man. 

- "Yes."

The man analyzed all the items that were over the table. Finally, he decided on one; taking it he said. 

- "I'll take this one. I think I can sell this in a good price, so you can have your transport." 

- "Natsuki, don't you think we'll need more money for the rest of the trip?" – asked Shizuru looking at the girl. 

- "Yeah, we will but…"

- "That's what I thought. Yamada-san, isn't it?" – said Shizuru getting the attention of the man. 

- "Yes young lady?"

- "Could you sell another two items and give us the money you receive for them?" – asked Shizuru politely. 

- "Or course, but there'll be a commission for it". 

- "Yamada! Always trying to make business, you…" – said Natsuki raising her voice. 

- "Its okay Natsuki." – said Shizuru calming the raven haired girl. Looking back at Yamada she continued – "Of course Yamada-san. How does 'sixty-forty' sound to you?"

- "Young lady, that's quite a sum. I just hope you don't take back your word."

- "Of course not. Are you fine with it?"

- "Young lady, we have a deal now. I'll have everything ready in no time; I'll see you in the back door of the pub."

- "Thanks for your services Yamada-san." 

- "My pleasure."

After placing the items in a small sack, the man stood up and left the pub. Natsuki stared at Shizuru, a frown clearly shown in her face. 

- "Shizuru, what was that! It was dangerous!"

- "Why Natsuki?"

- "What if other people had seen these things? They'd have known that you…"

- "We were alone."

- "You didn't need to do that. I had everything under control."

- "You had?"

Natsuki made a growl like sound and crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed by Shizuru's actions. Shizuru didn't understand the girl's behavior; it was as if she had done something wrong; and the last thing she wanted to do was made Natsuki angry.

- "Why is Natsuki so angry? I only wanted to help."

- "I'm not angry" 

- "Really? Then if Natsuki is not angry, why is she frowning like that? She'll get wrinkles if she continues doing it" – teased the older girl. 

- "You really didn't have to do this…"

- "Do what?"

- "Sell your belongings…" 

Shizuru blinked at the answer. A small smile appeared on her lips. 

- "Is this the reason why Natsuki is angry?"

She received a nod as a reply. 

- "It is okay Natsuki. These things are not important to me, and if they can help us, then I don't mind selling them." – said Shizuru with a reassuring smile. – "If they were important, then I wouldn't sell them; just like you did with Duran."

- "Yeah…I think you're right. Then…I…." – mumbled Natsuki.

- "What is it Natsuki?" 

- "Can I have one of these things too?" – said Natsuki feeling a bit embarrassed at asking such request. 

Shizuru let out a small giggle that made the raven haired girl blush. 

- "Of course Natsuki." 

- "I want that one." – said Natsuki pointing at a small object over the table. 

Shizuru looked at the object Natsuki was pointing at. She could only smile at what the tough and rude girl had chosen. It was a keychain that had a small plastic wolfy attached at the end of the chain. Shizuru took the small object and taking one of Natsuki's hands she placed the item on the girl's palm. The contact sent shivers all along Natsuki's spine. 

- "Then this will be a present for Natsuki." 

- "A present?"

- "Yes; for rescuing me yesterday and for taking care of me last night."

A deep shade of red soon covered Natsuki's face; the girl took the item and mumbled a low 'Thank you' to Shizuru to then turn her head to the side, evading the laughing face of the older girl. Shizuru began to put her belongings back in her bag, when Natsuki suddenly asked her. 

- "And what was that stuff that Yamada picked?"

- "The round shaped shiny thing was a CD; something to keep data stored. The black thick object was a chronometer, is something to measure time. And the other object was a fountain pen; an object you can write with." 

- "I don't really understand but, the last one, that 'pen' was that large colorful object right?"

- "Yes. Why do you ask?"

- "Well, it might be a foreign object to me but I can tell that it is very valuable." – said Natsuki –"Are you sure it was fine to hand it over?"

- "I told Natsuki not to worry, didn't I? Yes, that pen has a high value in money, but to me it didn't mean anything. And I'm pretty sure it will help us."

- "What do you mean?"

- "I bet Yamada-san took those objects because nothing like that, be it by shape, material, or whatever exists here in Earl; making them one of a kind. Thus, the sum for them will be high. But to tell you the truth, the only one that actually would be useful is the pen." – said Shizuru with a light chuckle. 

- "I see. Good that Yamada doesn't know that."

Both girls started to laugh at the comment. Natsuki then asked the owner of the pub for something to drink for her and Shizuru, to pass time and regain her energy while waiting for Yamada to show up. They drank their beverages and Natsuki paid for them, maybe she didn't have money to buy a vehicle, but she still had some to pay for a couple of drinks. Standing up, Natsuki adjusted Duran and thanked the owner. Shizuru also stood up thanking the owner and followed Natsuki to the back of the pub. 

What both girls didn't notice was the person that entered the pub in that moment, staring at them with hatred, especially the raven haired girl; with an evil smile forming in her lips; she said to herself. 

- "Finally I found you, Kuga Natsuki."

* * *

Natsuki was leaning on a wall next to the back door of the pub while Shizuru was standing by her side humming a song. 

- "Are you sure he won't take all the money for him Natsuki?" 

- "He wouldn't do that, especially now that he has found his favorite client." – said Natsuki looking at the brunette.

In that moment Yamada arrived. 

- "Wow, that was fast." – said Natsuki.

- "I always do a first quality service with first class clients" – replied Yamada. 

The man approached to Shizuru and taking a small pack from his pocket he gave it to the girl. 

- "This is what I received for the items you gave me to sell. I took the liberty to take my part of the deal. And this…" – he said taking a piece of paper handing it to Natsuki – "Is where you can find your transportation. It would have been troublesome if I had brought it here; also I assumed you'd like to buy some supplies before you leave the city." 

- "Thanks for your services Yamada-san." – said Shizuru. 

- "Anything for our special guest." 

Shizuru opened her eyes slightly. Natsuki understood what Yamada meant by that and said in a warning tone while grabbing the handle of her gunblade. 

- "Yamada, you better not spread out this kind of information." 

- "Of course not Natsuki-ojou-san. I might work for money but I'd never betray the trust of my two most important clients." – said Yamada adjusting his glasses. Then making a small bow he finished – "Now, if you don't need anything else, I have to be going." 

- "Thanks Yamada." – said Natsuki more relaxed. 

- "It was my pleasure to do business with you two. Have a nice trip."

The man bid them farewell and began to walk away disappearing from the sight of both girls. When they were alone, Natsuki spoke. 

- "Well, we better go too and get you some clothes." 

- "Ara, but I feel very comfortable wearing Natsuki's trench coat. I don't think I need anything else."

- "Just come." 

The two left the small alley and walked to the main market street. 

- "If you see a store with clothes you might like, tell me, okay?" – said Natsuki. 

- "Ara, this is like going shopping on a date with Natsuki."

- "Da…date? Idiot! Don't say that kind of things!" – replied Natsuki with her face completely red walking ahead Shizuru. 

- "Fufufu…she gets flustered very easy. Teasing her is so much fun…" – thought Shizuru. 

They walked some meters, when Shizuru stopped in front of a store. 

- "Natsuki, I found something."

- "Let's enter then."

They entered and after some minutes that consisted on Shizuru trying different outfits, they finally left the store; Natsuki carrying a small package and Shizuru clad in a new set of clothes. It consisted in a two piece Kimono-like ensemble. The upper part, which resembled a robe, was white with lavender sakura flowers on the sleeves. The lower part which resembled a 'hakama' was purple, and the 'obi' was lilac with a small aquamarine stiff sash tied around it. 

- "I never thought that you would like Zipang's style of clothes." – said Natsuki looking at Shizuru. 

- "Zipang?"

- "Is a country on the east; very famous for various things. Mai is from there."

- "Mai?"

- "A friend of mine; she left before you woke up the other day."

- "I think I vaguely remember hearing her name before completely passing out."

- "By the way, why did you pick up these clothes?" – asked Natsuki with curiosity. 

- "Because they resemble some clothes of my country; but these ones are more comfortable and easier to move around with."

- "Is that so?...well, they do look good on you." – said Natsuki out of the blue, without realizing what she had just said she continued – "Well, now we need some food and we are ready to leave." 

She then began to walk away in the direction of the groceries tents. Shizuru was dumbfounded and with a small blush in her cheeks. Did Natsuki just compliment her? She was beginning to feel a warm feeling fill up her heart when suddenly she remembered the girl in her dreams. Not wanting to think about her feelings right now, she began to walk with fast steps behind Natsuki. 

After they bought some groceries and first aid items for the rest of the trip they went to the place where Yamada had told them they'd find their transportation. They entered what looked like an abandoned warehouse; what they found inside left them speechless. 

- "Wow…Yamada sure overdid it this time." – said Natsuki getting closer to the machine standing there in the middle of the warehouse. 

Shizuru got closer too, staring at this artifact that was incredibly built and that somehow looked like a fusion of a motorcycle and a stallion. Natsuki inspected the vehicle, smiling widely she said, turning to look at Shizuru. 

- "With this baby the travel will be faster. That Yamada, I bet he got quite a sum for your items to get this." 

- "Is this vehicle really fast?" – asked Shizuru.

- "Well, yeah, sort of. It is said that Garderobe's knowledge in science was used to create this vehicle called: 'CHILD' Yafusa Type."

- "Garderobe?"

- "It was an ancient country that had many advances in technology, science, medicine…but it disappeared many centuries ago, not leaving much traces of their wisdom or existence behind. That country was supposed to be crossing the seas, but no evidence of it has been found; which I'm glad about." – explained Natsuki. 

- "And why is that?" 

- "I'll explain later, I promise, so let's get going."

- "Natsuki wants to get back home fast, doesn't she?"

- "Well, yeah…I really need to…" – replied Natsuki.

Shizuru saw how those emerald eyes had a sad look behind them, also a small glimpse of helplessness, worry and anger. Natsuki placed all their stuff in the back part of the vehicle, then she turned it on using a small stone that looked like a gem; the machine started to roar and some steam was expulsed from the back of it. Shizuru saw how Natsuki got on the vehicle; it was ridden like a motorcycle, just like she had thought. 

- "So that means that…" – thought Shizuru seeing Natsuki get close to her riding the 'child'. 

- "Come on get up!" – said Natsuki tapping the back seat. 

Shizuru got on the 'child' and clung on to Natsuki's waist. 

- "Hold on to me firmly, alright? I don't want you to fall."

Before Shizuru could make a teasing comment, Natsuki started the machine again, this time showing more of its power; the front part began to levitate a little, and the back part which had a wheel began to move forward with incredible speed. The chestnut haired girl could only suppress a yelp by holding tighter the other girl, who seemed to be enjoying the ride more than she; riding that powerful machine, they left the warehouse and the city behind in no time. 

TBC………….

* * *

I hope you liked it. Don't forget to write a review and tell us what you think about it so far, okay?

The ones that watched Escaflowne sure will be able to tell all the references I used here and the ones I'll use in the next chapter. If you'd like to comment about it, please send me a P.M, so we won't spoil the series. That would be all for now. 

See you around! 

Shezaei neko


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N from shezaei neko:** Not much to say this time. Only that I'm still working in my other fics. I hope to have them out soon. Also that I hope you enjoy this chapter. And thanks to leebot for being my beta and sensei.

**A/N from leebot:** Just want to make sure you all know that this fic truly is Shezaei Neko's brainchild. So far, I've only been along to beta and help write a few paragraphs at the end of this chapter. Once chapter 4 rolls around, you'll see a fair bit more of my influence in plotting, but Shezaei will be doing the hard work, so give her the credit, k?

Hope you like it and don't forget to review, Leebot-sensei and I really love to read your reviews. They encourage us to continue writing and give you enjoyable stories. So, be sure to leave a couple of lines.

Now, onto the fic!!

Disclaimer: Everything is property of their respective authors.

* * *

**Into the another World**** – Chapter 3**

Some days and moons had passed since the couple left the capital of Torushina. By now, Shizuru was a bit more used on riding the 'child' or 'Yafusa' as Natsuki liked to call it in short and because according to the raven haired girl, it sounded cooler; but still she had some trouble with all the movement and speed, however it was tolerable. The reason? She could press her body closer to Natsuki's giving the excuse that she was afraid; and that wasn't a lie at all; but of course Shizuru wouldn't tell the real reason.

Whenever they were near a town or ancient ruins that could provide them with information about 'the guiding star' they visited the place, unfortunately, there wasn't much they could discover or sometimes, the rumors were mere lies to attract visitors.

All that time they were traveling together, they got to know more about each other, but still there were things that Shizuru wanted to know about Natsuki and vice versa. They decided to stop to have some lunch and rest a little; after all, they'd been riding all day without stopping and it was almost midday. Natsuki stopped 'Yafusa' in a clear in the woods and took out some fruit and dry meat from the back compartment. Shizuru sat on the grass, waiting for Natsuki. The raven haired girl handed Shizuru her part of the food; soon they began to eat. It was a comfortable silence and the company of each other was very much welcomed. Shizuru looked at Natsuki and gaining some strength she asked her what she had wanted to know since they met.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Yeah?"

- "We are closer to Aries now, right?"

- "Yeah…so?"

- "Could you tell me more about it?"

- "There's not much to tell…" – said Natsuki avoiding Shizuru's gaze.

- "Please Natsuki…I want to know…" – begged Shizuru – "Since I met you, you've been reluctant to tell me about your homeland. I want to know why you want to arrive as fast as possible, why you look so sad whenever I mention it. Please Natsuki…tell me." – said Shizuru with concern in her voice.

- "Shizuru" – Natsuki said in a whisper, surprised by the tone in Shizuru's voice; that worry, that empathy, that concern.

Natsuki sighed; she knew that she couldn't avoid the subject anymore, and since Shizuru was accompanying her, she deserved to know.

- "Aries is a small kingdom surrounded by valleys and mountains" – Natsuki began to explain – "Those valleys had different kind of creatures and beasts to protect the kingdom; it'd been that way for many centuries. It was a peaceful kingdom; but in the last years we were able to discover different uses for machinery that already existed, also we were innovating in various fields, such as medicine and especially science. Of course we didn't have plans of using it outside of Aries for military purposes; everything was created for the benefit of the people. Many aspects of Aries changed during those years, especially our clothes."

- "Now I understand why your clothes are completely different from the other nations; and why you received some glances from the people in various towns we visited." – said Shizuru.

- "Well, if these clothes were not common in the past; now they are totally rare and unexpected."

- "What do you mean?"

- "That probably I'm the only one who wears them now…" – said Natsuki with a sad tone.

- "The only one?...Natsuki…you're…"

- "Many moons back, Aries was attacked by the country of Searrs; a nation obsessed with science and with experimenting in whatever they wanted. Apparently they thought that Aries was a threat to them and that we had something they could use for their own purposes; so they did a surprise attack to Aries; after realizing that there was not anything useful to them, they burnt down the entire kingdom." – said Natsuki clenching her hands into fists. – "I was doing an important task in the valleys when they attacked…I couldn't do anything to stop it."

- "Natsuki…" – said Shizuru – "was your family also……?"

- "My mother died a long time ago…but my sister Alyssa...I know that Miyu is with her but I'm still worried."

- "Miyu?"

- "Alyssa's guardian; she'd do anything for Alyssa, I'm sure of it; she's a very capable and strong warrior but… I'm not sure if Miyu could have resisted and handled an attack of such dimensions. I have to return soon; the war may have ended but there are still some Searrs soldiers around and if they reach Aries again, I don't know what they might do. Especially that filthy one…"

- "'That filthy one'?"

- "The leader of the Valkyrie squadron that coordinated the attack on Aries; she ran that time. I encountered her many times after that, but I never had a chance to finish her…and then the base where she was located blew up; she swore she'd got her revenge though…"

- "Revenge for what?"

- "I left her a small present on her face during one battle we held..."

- "So you think she's not dead yet?"

- "Is not easy to get rid of scum like that…" – said Natsuki with a small chuckle.

Shizuru let out small giggle; the tense in the air was soon dismissed thanks to it. Looking at Natsuki with a gentle and thankful expression Shizuru said.

- "Thank you Natsuki."

- "For what?"

- "For sharing this with me."

Natsuki blushed a little and turned her head to the side.

- "It was nothing…after all you asked me about it…"

- "Ara, so Natsuki will do anything I ask her for?"

- "What do you want now?"

- "Fufufu…so Natsuki really will do it?"

- "Idiot!! I won't!" – Natsuki's blush grew deeper.

Shizuru giggled a bit more at the flustered and cute expressions that Natsuki made. When the giggles and blushed stopped, Natsuki suddenly asked.

- "What about you, Shizuru?"

- "What about me?"

- "Your country, don't you miss it?"

- "A little."

- "Don't you miss your family?"

Shizuru looked at the sky and smiling bitterly she answered.

- "I don't have a family Natsuki…opposite to what many people think in my country, I don't have one."

- "I'm sorry" – said Natsuki sincerely; she knew she brought up a sore subject.

- "You don't have to apologize Natsuki." – replied Shizuru with a smile. – "My parents…they died when I was a little girl; my grandfather took care of me after that, but then some years after, he passed away too. I moved to the dorms of the school; when I moved in there everyone came near me only because of my name." – said Shizuru with some disgust at the fact – "Only one person never considered me something special, in fact, she considered me her rival; then somehow we ended having a strange kind of friendship, of course she'd never admit that, but she was my only true friend."

- "She sounds like a loud and proud person…"

- "Ara, Natsuki had just described her…"

- "Really?!" – said Natsuki with her eyes opened in surprise.

- "Yes, but even if she is, she was sincere with me. I really appreciated it." – Shizuru remembered all those times she talked with Haruka in a 'friendly way'. Then she remembered the girl in her dreams; and not knowing why she said – "but I only have one special someone…"

Natsuki didn't understand why after hearing Shizuru speak such words; her heart sank in her chest. Shizuru saw how Natsuki averted her eyes and kept very quiet all of sudden.

- "Natsuki…is…?"

- "Shh...I heard something…" – replied Natsuki.

And it wasn't a lie, indeed after Shizuru said 'those words', Natsuki had heard a strange sound.

- "I'll go check…you stay here."

Before Shizuru could answer, Natsuki stood up and taking out her gunblade, she walked inside the woods leaving Shizuru alone. But that wasn't a good idea; as soon as Natsuki was out of sight and hearing, a group of shadows stood behind Shizuru; with a quick movement, they covered her mouth, muffling her screams and immobilizing her. Shizuru's eyes were opened widely in shock and fear; the last thought that crossed her mind was: 'Natsuki!!'.

* * *

Natsuki was getting farther and deeper in the woods with every step she took; without realizing she climbed what she thought was a hill, but it really was higher than a hill. She reached what looked like a clearing in the woods; she was about to give another step when she felt no more ground under her feet; in front of her was a cliff, and a deep one and it's length extended for various kilometers all along that once valley.

- "The landscapes have changed in a short amount of time thanks to that war…" – said Natsuki while frowning at the sight – "This wasn't here before…and this is dangerous…if one ever falls it's bye-bye…"

She was about to return when something at her left caught her attention; it was a soldier; no, there were two, and she could recognize their clothes anywhere.

- "What?! Valkyries here?"

The soldiers disappeared from her sight so Natsuki began to chase them; it was difficult to track them down especially since she discovered that the land had changed. After some minutes of chasing, she arrived to a clearing near another cliff. Standing there, were the two soldiers chatting; upon seeing Natsuki, they took out their weapons.

- "Who are you?" – asked one.

- "You don't need to know, just surrender and I won't hurt you." – said Natsuki holding her gunblade firmly in a fighting pose.

- "What do you think we are? You'll have to fight us first."

- "Okay, if that is what you want, so be it!!"

The two soldiers charged towards Natsuki. The gunblade made contact with their swords, producing a metallic sound that filled the clear and ran all along the cliff near them. The soldiers were well trained but they were no match to the gunblade holder. Showing great agility and strength Natsuki sent the soldiers flying to a tree; their bodies impacting the trunk with great force making them loose their weapons. Natsuki was standing in front of them, her gunblade near their bodies.

- "I guess I win."

In that moment, a clapping was heard behind Natsuki.

- "Well done. You've been practicing I see, Natsuki Kuga."

- "That voice…" – thought Natsuki.

Natsuki turned around only to meet with the person she wanted to hurt the most coming from the woods.

- "Tomoe Marguerite…." – hissed Natsuki.

- "My…it's a pleasure that you still remember my name even after all this time."

- "What the hell do you want?!"

- "Can't I just come and have a chit-chat with you a little?"

The girl snapped her fingers; at the sound, soldiers from every direction appeared surrounding Natsuki and the soldiers that were down stood up, taking their weapons again.

- "You really have a weird definition for 'chit-chat'" – then staring at Tomoe she said – "but really, do you think your minions will be able to stop me?"

- "This time I'm sure they will because…you know? I've got an ace under my sleeve. Miya!!" – said Tomoe.

A girl with brown hair got close to Tomoe; Natsuki opened her eyes in shock, the person this girl Miya was holding in a strong grip was…

- "Shizuru!!" – thought Natsuki with panic.

- "Oh? Are you surprised Kuga Natsuki?" – said Tomoe looking at Natsuki's expression.

Even if Shizuru had a calm expression in her face, Natsuki could see fear in her watery eyes, the girl was trying to control herself.

- "Let her go!! She has nothing to do with this, Marguerite! This is between you and me!!" – demanded Natsuki.

- "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" – said Tomoe moving her finger from side to side in a negative gesture – "She has much to do with this, 'Your Majesty'…"

The girl raised her hand, and at the command, all the soldiers charged towards Natsuki. The raven haired girl held her gunblade in front of her and charged too. Tomoe was delighted watching the fight; her soldiers had many troubles fighting the other girl but she didn't care too much, all she cared about was hurting Kuga as much as she could. Taking some steps, she got near Shizuru and took her face by the chin with her hand.

- "Such a gorgeous creature…"

- "Don't touch her!!" – yelled Natsuki after slicing a soldier.

Tomoe released Shizuru's face and ordered Miya to step back still having a hold on Shizuru; then placing her finger in her own cheekbone she slid it all the way down to her chin, tracing a scar she had on her face.

Shizuru saw rage in that girl's gesture, the hatred she had in her eyes when staring at Natsuki while doing it; then Natsuki's words came to her mind…

- 'I left her a small present on her face during one battle we held...'

- "So this is that 'filthy one' Natsuki mentioned before…the one that led the attack on Aries; the one that has caused Natsuki much pain…" – thought Shizuru.

Shizuru slapped herself in her thoughts, she had been careless, and now this Tomoe girl had her hostage; she had to think of a way to release herself fast or she'd only worry Natsuki more than she already had.

Natsuki was panting slightly; she had knocked out all of Tomoe's minions; it was easy but with so many, it tired her a bit. Tomoe took her sword out from her scabbard; it was a Spatha; pointing at Natsuki with it she yelled.

- "I told you I'll have my revenge…and the time has come!!"

- "I dare you to try it!!"

They ran towards the other, clashing their weapons with force making a loud clank and producing some sparks that fell to the ground. They exchanged blows for some minutes before Tomoe realized that Natsuki had the upper hand; but she wasn't going to take defeat as result of this battle.

- "With this scar you gave me you took the beauty from my face Kuga!!" – yelled Tomoe pushing Natsuki away from the cliff, their swords still attached – "So I thought I might as well take something beautiful from you!!"

After she spoke these words; Natsuki saw how the soldier that had Shizuru was standing near the cliff. Tomoe nodded with a malicious grin splattered in her face; then Natsuki with her eyes wide open saw everything in slow motion. How that soldier Miya, in a quick movement pushed Shizuru away; how Shizuru tried to maintain her balance but the strength she was pushed with was too much, so she stumbled backwards; her body falling off the cliff; her ruby eyes meeting emerald ones for a second, a storm of emotions being shown in them before their disappeared from Natsuki's sight.

- "SHIZURUUUUUU!!"

- "HAHAHAHAHA!! How does it feel Kuga? To have something precious taken from you?" – said Tomoe laughing hysterically.

Natsuki's eyes narrowed showing pure rage.

- "Out of my way!!"

- "You won't get away that easily!".

- "I said…OUT OF MY WAY!!" - screamed Natsuki for a second time swinging her gunblade in front of her.

Her sword connected with Tomoe's so hard that it made the other girl retreat some steps. The path to the cliff was clear now; Natsuki began to run towards the cliff as fast as she could but she didn't notice when Tomoe came near and swung her sword, Natsuki couldn't avoid the attack completely; but it really didn't matter, nor the sting she felt nor the pain, all that mattered now was to jump, and she did so.

Tomoe saw how Natsuki kept running even after she had cut her with her Spatha and how she jumped off the cliff. After that happened, with a scowl in her face and an angry tone she said.

- "Miya! Time to go."

- "But, Tomoe-sama…"

- "There's no way they could have survived that fall" – after kicking a tree she continued – "That damned Kuga, she chose to die saving that girl rather than finish our fight…"

Putting away her Spatha she began to walk away from the cliff, Miya walking behind her. There was no point in staying there any longer; that kind of revenge wasn't as satisfactory as she wanted it to be.

* * *

Shizuru had her eyes closed; she could feel the air pass roughly through her hair, its coldness freezing her skin. She had many thoughts running through her head at that moment; but the ones that pained her most were not the ones of dying; what pained her most was that she wasn't able to meet the girl in her dreams and that she would leave Natsuki. She didn't know the reason but this made her heart ache; even if she had known the girl for some days, she could say that being away from her was unbearable.

- "Good bye Natsuki…" – said Shizuru in her mind.

That's when she heard a voice; that voice; 'her voice' calling her name.

- "SHIZURU!!"

- "Natsuki?!" – thought Shizuru.

She opened her eyes to gaze upwards, to the top of the cliff; that's when she saw it; a shadow coming fast in her direction in a free fall. She could distinguish the figure; it was Natsuki, who was getting closer with incredible speed.

And then something so dreamlike happened.

Shizuru's eyes shot open widely in surprise at what she was witnessing; from Natsuki's back were growing a pair of wings; pure white, large, strong and beautifully shaped wings.

- "Natsuki…you're…" – whispered Shizuru.

Once the wings were completely spread, Natsuki began to fly towards Shizuru faster than before.

The raven haired girl stretched out her hand to catch Shizuru's; Natsuki flipped her wings one more time to gain more speed. At last she could reach Shizuru's hand, holding it carefully she pulled the girl upwards to her; she placed an arm around the girl's back and the other under her knees, carrying her bridal style. With a soft gaze in her emerald eyes she asked tenderly.

- "Shizuru…are you hurt?"

- "I'm fine. Thank you Natsuki." – said Shizuru wrapping her arms around Natsuki's neck and burying her face on the girl's shoulder.

- "Hold on tight okay?"

Shizuru simply nodded.

Natsuki flew to the bottom of the cliff carrying Shizuru in her arms; once she found a safe place she landed. Cautiously, she released Shizuru to help her stand on her feet. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Natsuki suddenly dropped herself on her knees while clutching her side, in that moment the wings shone and then slowly molted.

- "Natsuki!!"

Hastily Shizuru knelt too and removing Natsuki's hand she saw blood staining the black trench coat.

- "Natsuki! You're hurt!"

- "It's not serious. Is just a small cut…"

- "It doesn't matter; I have to treat it at once."

Shizuru looked around her for a safe place to take Natsuki; she spotted a cave not too far from where they were. She helped Natsuki stand up and wrapped an arm around Natsuki's waist while Natsuki used Shizuru's body to support herself. They walked into the cave, and Natsuki sat on the ground, leaning her back on the rocky walls. Shizuru cleaned the wound with her handkerchief; just as Natsuki said, it wasn't a deep cut but she had to cover it with something; unfortunately, they didn't have their items with them right now, so she had no other choice. Shizuru began to tear the sleeves of her clothes, making a provisional bandage and wrapped Natsuki's wound with it.

- "Thanks Shizuru." – said Natsuki when Shizuru finished.

- "No Natsuki…thank you for saving me." – said Shizuru softly sitting in front of Natsuki.

- "It was nothing…"

She stared at those ruby eyes for a moment; then she said.

- "I couldn't afford to lose you…"

- "Natsuki…"

- "I…" – Natsuki averted her gaze from Shizuru's – "I know you have a special someone but…I simply couldn't……because I…" – mumbled the girl with a blush in her cheeks.

Shizuru smiled fondly at the sincerity and love in the young girl's silent confession. Leaning forward, she took Natsuki's face with her hands and brought her lips to meet Natsuki's. Natsuki was surprised at first, but then her eyes fluttered shut and she let out an almost inaudible moan. She pressed her own lips against Shizuru's a bit more. The kiss lasted a few minutes before Shizuru withdrew, locking her ruby eyes with the emerald green ones, she said.

- "It was you. It has always been you, Natsuki, my special someone. I love you. I've loved you since before we met."

The admission stunned both of them as it slips out, but Shizuru knew it was true, even if it might have seemed a bit early for her to admit it, and so she held firm as she gazed into Natsuki's eyes.

Natsuki, however, was quite a bit more shocked by it. Her mouth moved soundlessly as she tried to say something but couldn't figure out what. Her mind went over the past events, thinking of how crazy she must have been to nearly kill herself in an attempt to rescue Shizuru. Could that craziness be love? Maybe...

- "I think..." - Natsuki gulped down her fear. She gazed into Shizuru's eyes to fill up her confidence. When she saw the emotions in the girl's crimson eyes, all her hesitance vanished. - "No, I know... I love you too, Shizuru."

Shizuru's face lit up and a pair of tears leaked their way out of her eyes. She started to tremble slightly, and she realized that she needs Natsuki for her support. She leaned in to kiss the girl once more.

As the two girls kissed under the revelation of new love, outside, clouds drifted apart to reveal the full moon, the Guiding Star. Its light streamed down, causing a blue glow to pool just outside the cave. As Natsuki loses herself in the kiss, emotions start to overflow within her. This is all too much, and yet it's just right, she thought.

Unnoticed by the girl, the love she was feeling caused a peculiar reaction in her body. Phantom wings started to grow out of her back, formed entirely by a soft light. The light wrapped around her and Shizuru, as if she were folding her wings to protect her love. The light surrounding the two seemed to reach out to the moonlight outside the cave and pulled it back in. The rays of light from the moon bent around to encapsulate the girls. The light of Natsuki's phantom wings and the moon swirled together around the girls, pushing both of them into feeling that they were in a dreamlike state.

Eventually, the light reached a peak. The two girl's minds were filled with thoughts of each other as consciousness left the two of them. The light quickly fades to nothing. The cave is left empty, with both of the girls vanished into the light.

TBC…

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There you go, chapter 3. Hope you liked it. Maybe I'll change the rating in the next chapter, so stay tuned. Don't forget to review.

See you around!!

Shezaei neko


	4. Chapter 4

**Shezaei neko's A/N: **All the credit for this chapter goes to the amazing Leebot-sensei. I did nothing in this one, just checked the progress and gave some ideas, but that's all. So you better praise him with many reviews since he wrote a loooooong chapter for you this time. Enjoy!!

**Leebot's A/N:** Whew! I really pulled my fair share of the writing for this chapter. I think you all know what that (and the large chapter size) means. Read on to see…

Due to obvious reasons, the rating of the fic has changed; however, even if this chapter is M, the next ones will be T again. Of course we'll inform you which chapter will be rated M in the future.

With that said, on to the story!!

Disclaimer: Everything is property of their respective authors.

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**Into the Another World - Chapter 4**

Shizuru felt more than a bit dazed; her head felt as if it was spinning, and pain pounded through it. She closed her eyes to control the sensations and bring her senses back to normal. After some minutes passed, she felt a bit better. With the dazed feeling gone, she tentatively opened her eyes. It was dark all around her, and she barely could see anything. She could feel a soft and comfortable bed below her. For some reason it felt familiar… the blankets were very much just like the ones she had on her bed. That was when the realization struck her. She was back! She was back home, back in her dorm. Even if she couldn't make out much of it, she knew that this was her room and her bed!

- "How….how this can be?" – thought Shizuru in disbelief.

All the events she'd just been through started to pass through her mind.

- "Was it a dream?"

Was her first thought, but no! It couldn't have been a dream; everything had felt so real to her. The evergreen and medieval landscapes of Earl, the people, her meeting… her meeting with Natsuki….

- "Natsuki!!"

She immediately reached around on instinct, searching her bed with her hands for any sign of the girl. She couldn't see too much thanks to the lack of light, which forced her to rely on her hands. She crawled all along her bed, from left to right, back and forth but with no avail. When Shizuru felt no sign of Natsuki, she started to panic; she wondered if it was indeed, all just a dream.

- "No….that can't be!!" – screamed Shizuru in her mind while clenching her hands into fists – "I can remember everything perfectly. I can even still feel the warmth of your embrace when you rescued me, how safe I felt in your arms… the blush in your face… your soft lips upon mine… …Natsuki…"

Her body started to tremble as tears began to form in her eyes.

- "No… this is not fair… why…?"

She continued crying out mentally at how unfair it was; to give her so much of what she'd yearned for and then take it away as soon as she got it. Unable to control herself anymore, she buried her face in her hands and started to weep for her loss of Natsuki.

- "Ugh…"

Shizuru lifted her face upon hearing the moan coming from the floor near her bed.

- "Na…Natsuki?!"

After instantly recognizing the voice, she snapped out of her depression and her eyes started to search the room, trying to adjust to the darkness so she could seek out the raven-haired girl. She soon saw the silhouette of the girl sitting up, rubbing the back of her head as she groaned in pain.

- "For Shinso-sama…that hurt…" – Natsuki caught Shizuru's gaze and realized where she was sitting – "Uh? How is it you got to end up in a bed while I have to settle for the floor…?"

Natsuki started to say, however Shizuru was too relieved about Natsuki's appearance to pay any attention to that. She practically pounced on the girl as her emotions started to overwhelm her. She clung to Natsuki for dear life and started kissing her passionately, not even giving the girl a chance to resist. Natsuki was initially stunned by Shizuru's outpouring of passion and she only weakly returned the kiss. She fell into it before long though, and she started kissing Shizuru back with a tender passion that it was hard to believe a girl like her – who presented such a tough exterior – could possess.

After a couple of minutes they pulled away from each other reluctantly to get some air; that was when Natsuki noticed Shizuru's eyes. They were red, as if she had been crying, and they were still watery. And not only did her eyes show pain and sadness, her whole face held an expression of disbelief. It pained Natsuki deeply to see Shizuru like that. The chestnut-haired girl was about to lean in again for another kiss when Natsuki cupped her cheek and asked her in a tender voice.

- "Shizuru…what's wrong? Why were you crying?"

Shizuru was a bit stunned by the question; she never expected Natsuki to notice her features in the darkness but somehow the girl managed to do it. She thought about lying, but if she did so, she feared that Natsuki might disappear and that it would all turn out to indeed just have been a dream, her mind playing a horrid game with her. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki again and began to sob, burying her head in the girl's shoulder, and then she began to say.

- "I was afraid…"

- "Afraid? Of what?"

- "That Natsuki might have disappeared, that Natsuki was only an illusion; that she wouldn't be here with me…"

Natsuki smiled a comforting smile before releasing Shizuru and lifting her head with her hand that was cupping her chin, so that she could look directly at her. Once their eyes locked on each other, she took Shizuru's hand and placed it over her chest, right over her heart. Shizuru blushed a little at the action.

- "You can feel it right?" – asked Natsuki.

Shizuru gave a nod; she indeed could feel Natsuki's heart beating quickly inside her chest, maybe just as fast as hers was beating now. Not being able to hold herself back at such a lovable image in front of her, Natsuki leaned forward and captured Shizuru's lips, applying more pressure to the kiss this time. Shizuru immediately closed her eyes to feel the softness of those pink and luscious lips that were claiming her own right now.

They spent a few tender minutes enjoying each other's taste before Natsuki pulled away. Shizuru opened her eyes and stared directly at those emerald green eyes that held such a tender and loving gaze. She smiled weakly and then wrapped her arms around Natsuki and hugged her as if her life depended on it. Natsuki noticed the desperation in her embrace and was about to say something when Shizuru said in a low voice.

- "Don't leave me…"

It sounded more like a plea than anything. Natsuki hugged the older girl back and said right into her ear.

- "I'm right here."

Shizuru pulled back just a little so that she could see Natsuki's eyes – those eyes that hypnotized her since she first saw them, which now shone brightly even through the darkness in the room – she could see determination and sincerity, strong emotions that not even the prefect illusion or trick of her mind could generate for her. Her whole being was at ease, and quickly all the fear and doubt vanished, replaced with pure love and joy.

Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck and pulled her in to give her another kiss, but this time, now that her emotions had changed, it was much more passionate. Natsuki was initially stunned by Shizuru's outpouring of passion, but soon she reciprocated the kiss. She could feel herself weaken as she thought of Shizuru and how much the girl cared for her, with a sweet warmth flooding through her chest, and she thought of how much Shizuru might want to give… maybe she was willing to give as much as Natsuki was…

The kiss turned even more passionate as Shizuru began to lick Natsuki's lips, begging for entrance, which was promptly granted and very much welcomed by the raven-haired girl. During the kiss, Shizuru pulled the two of them back to her bed and lay down on her back, allowing Natsuki to lie on top of her. They pulled out of the kiss making a soft 'smack' sound; Shizuru gazed up hungrily, and a moment of hesitance hit her. Natsuki's eyes were filled with pure love and adoration… but were hers filled simply with lust? She felt ashamed for a second for not being able to hold herself back; perhaps Natsuki wasn't prepared for this and she was pushing the girl. Shizuru averted her gaze and said.

- "Natsuki... I want you so much... I... I just... I don't know if I'll be able to hold myself back if this goes any further... Please... stop me if…you don't, if you feel that I'm pushing you to…"

Shizuru was cut off as Natsuki suddenly reached her head down to press their lips together yet again. The girl only moved them slowly, but, oh… so sweetly. As soon as Shizuru gave up on talking, though, Natsuki pulled back.

- "I want this too…" - Natsuki said, though her eyes now showed some slight signs of nervousness and perhaps a hint of fear even, despite her words. The realization of what they might actually be about to do had just hit her; she couldn't help but be a bit afraid, however much she wanted it. – "If it's you… …I…" – a blush formed in Natsuki's cheeks as she said this, and it was now her turn to avert her gaze to avoid Shizuru's eyes.

_- _"Natsuki…"

Whispered Shizuru while cupping that perfectly shaped face with her hands to kiss once again the girl that was about to give herself completely to her; just like she was willing to give herself to Natsuki.

Their lips met, this time in a more loving way; the kiss was strong and full of need yet soft and full of care. Both girls could feel shivers running through their bodies with every nibble and added pressure in the kiss. With her eyes closed, Shizuru began to move her hands to the front of Natsuki's clothes, stopping when they reached the buttons of her coat. Meanwhile Natsuki was busy herself moving her hands to untie the obi of Shizuru's attire. Natsuki pulled away from the kiss and moved her head to the side, all the way giving small kisses to all the skin her lips could reach: cheek, jaw line, earlobes, neck. The pleasure gradually built up, and when she kissed a certain spot on Shizuru's neck, the girl let out a deep moan. Natsuki didn't know exactly why, but she wanted to continue hearing Shizuru making those lovable sounds so she kept kissing and sometimes sucking, even licking that point… that was, until she heard Shizuru say her name between moans.

- "Na...tsuki…"

Natsuki smiled and moved her lips to Shizuru's ears and whispered.

- "I love you…"

Shizuru felt her entire body weaken at those words. She wanted to respond, but she was distracted by the realization that Natsuki's hands had now removed her obi completely, the process having gone completely unnoticed by the chestnut-haired girl thanks to Natsuki's very skilled ministrations. And now, the raven haired girl had discarded the piece and was opening Shizuru's robe, doing it in a painfully slow motion – from Shizuru's perspective, that was. Natsuki was quite enjoying prolonging this moment as much as possible. Her hands touched Shizuru's skin carefully, as if it were a delicate flower that was about to blossom but would wither if not taken care of it properly.

Natsuki could feel her heart pounding fiercely in her chest as more and more of Shizuru's flesh came into view. She'd never thought of anything remotely sexual until this girl came along, and she was surprising herself with how much simply seeing more of her meant. Shizuru's skin was so beautiful, so pure. And simply the fact that she was allowed to see it made her think of how intimate it was, stoking a fire that had started burning deep within her.

As she finally laid the robe to rest on either side of Shizuru and helped the girl's arms out of it, she took a moment to inspect Shizuru's bra as she allowed her hands to roam over the girl's exposed chest and stomach, keeping the girl in a state of dazed bliss so she couldn't interrupt. It wasn't a style she'd ever seen being sold anywhere in Earl, though there wasn't too much of a difference in what the two worlds had developed. This particular piece was a deep purple color, with a somewhat frilly seam and intricate stitching. It was absolutely beautiful, all the more so given the girl it was currently adorning.

Natsuki's moment of stun in gazing at her bra gave Shizuru a needed moment to recover her senses. She opened her eyes and saw all the love glistening in Natsuki's eyes as she stared at Shizuru's chest, a profuse blush spreading across her face, making it all the cuter. Fortunately, Shizuru hadn't been wasting any time herself when it came to her companion; she had succeeded in opening Natsuki's trench coat before she'd gotten distracted, and she now slid it over the girl's shoulders to be tossed off onto the floor. She brought her hands up to Natsuki's shoulders and slid them down along her arms to the girl's wrists; she could feel the well-built and toned muscles under that soft skin. For a moment she thought that Natsuki was the sweetest living contradiction - under her rough exterior there was a caring and lovely girl; on the other hand, under that skin that was prettier than the most astonishing flower, was the well-shaped body of a warrior, and not even a warrior; the body of an angel, and to her eyes, Natsuki was her guardian angel.

Shizuru's gaze then fell on Natsuki's tank top; it didn't matter how many times she saw Natsuki without the coat, it never ceased to amaze her how beautiful, classy and sexy this girl could be wearing only a plain tank top.

- "_And I bet she would still look gorgeous without it, or perhaps even more so…_"

Shizuru felt her cheeks redden at the thought. Her heart pounded even more at realizing that she would be able to lay her eyes upon such sight. Slowly but determinedly, she moved her hands to place them over Natsuki's waist. Anticipation balled up in her throat, catching her breath as she looked up at Natsuki's face so that she could watch the girl's adorable reaction as she removed her shirt.

As Natsuki realized Shizuru's intentions, she was finally distracted away from her appraisal of the other girl's chest. A bout of nervousness suddenly struck her as she thought of exposing herself to Shizuru, but it was soon overwhelmed with desire. Shizuru – her love – wanted to see all of her, and so Natsuki wanted to let her. The prospect of exposing herself to Shizuru became quite appealing when she looked at it like this, though the nervousness didn't go away completely. She pressed through it though, and she tried to cover it up by bringing her hands down to cover Shizuru's and pull her shirt up along with her.

Shizuru certainly didn't miss out on noticing Natsuki's nervousness. In fact, as she pulled the girl's shirt off, she spent almost all the time watching her reactions. Her path from nervousness to shy eagerness was so adorable that Shizuru almost let out an unconscious squeak of adoration. Natsuki's smile slowly grew as her shirt came up, until it left Shizuru's view behind the fabric. At this point she gave up on removing it slowly and pulled it quickly off and threw it aside to gaze at the new wealth of exposed flesh…

Only there wasn't any. At least, there wasn't nearly as much as Shizuru had hoped for. Natsuki was wearing a large bra underneath her shirt which reminded Shizuru of a sports bra from Earth. It covered almost all of the same flesh that her tank top had – at least in the front; Shizuru didn't care much about the back right now – only giving Shizuru the benefit of seeing the girl's form a bit better. Of course, it was indeed quite a pleasant form, but Shizuru had no intention of stopping there now that she'd come this far.

Before Natsuki had a chance to react, Shizuru brought her hands down to the lower seam of her lover's bra and slipped them both up and inside. Natsuki let out a sharp gasp as she suddenly felt Shizuru's hands against the flesh of her stomach. She was put off by it for only a brief moment though, and that was only from the surprise. An aching soon formed farther up her chest, focusing in her breasts, and she started to wish that Shizuru would tend to it. She looked down at her lover's face, shyly asking for more with her expression. She brought her hands up to Shizuru's shoulders to support herself, as she had no idea what Shizuru's touch might do to her control over her body.

Shizuru had been quite content with the feel she was getting of Natsuki's abdomen, but of course she still wanted more. She'd been planning to feel up the girl for just a few more moments before pulling her bra off, but then she saw the look in Natsuki's face. The shy pleading there was just irresistible, and Shizuru felt her hands drifting up to Natsuki's breasts before she knew it. Her wrists pushed the fabric of the girl's bra up to reveal more of her tight stomach, but Shizuru was focused on her sense of touch at this moment. Her fingers met the bottoms of Natsuki's breasts, and she pulled them out to slowly cup the orbs in her hands, reveling in the feeling of that cool, silky smooth flesh.

Natsuki's breath hitched in her throat as Shizuru's hands molded themselves to the shape of her breasts beneath her bra. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel, but her feelings soon sorted themselves out on their own. A wave of happiness and pure joy flooded through her, and she couldn't help but let a huge smile cross her face. She didn't even want to hide herself at this point.

- _"Yes…" _– Natsuki thought. – _"This is right. I'm in love, and we should be together…"_ – She looked down at Shizuru, focusing on her beautiful face smiling lovingly back at her. ­– _"I want to do this."_

- "I want to make love to you, Shizuru." – Natsuki said softly. Still smiling gleefully, she sat back a bit and brought her hands down to grip the fabric of her bra and pull it up and over her head. She felt an odd phantom itch in her wings, but she disregarded it as she didn't have them out right then and she had more important things on her mind.

With this task done, Natsuki went forward with one of those things, and she leaned forward so that she could once more catch Shizuru's lips in a kiss. The extra pressure from Shizuru's hands on her breasts as she did so was heavenly, and she wanted to prod Shizuru to do even more for her. And when Shizuru was done, she'd have her chance to repay every sweet touch with one of her own. However, she barely had a chance to give Shizuru a quick peck before she was pushed back to a sitting position. She didn't complain though, as it involved even more of that lovely feeling in her breasts, though she did quirk an eyebrow at Shizuru inquisitively.

- "I just want to look at you for a minute, Natsuki." – Shizuru said. She knew that the girl wanted more now – specifically, more of her touch – but the sight was just too beautiful to be real. When her hands had cupped Natsuki's breasts, she'd seen the girl slowly being flooded with joy, and this was then followed with quite an amazing sight: From the girl's back, a pair of phantom wings had spread out. They matched the shape of the real wings she'd seen before, only they were a translucent blue instead of solid white. They glowed and sparkled, illuminating the two of them so that Shizuru could finally get a good view of her love.

Looking down at Shizuru, Natsuki noticed that the girl had dropped her hands from her breasts and was now taking in the full picture of Natsuki's bare upper body on top of her – though she didn't realize just how bare, with even her wings' spirits exposed. She smiled down at Shizuru, gleeful about being so intimate with this girl. But she wasn't nearly done yet. She wanted to expose herself completely to her love, and to see all of Shizuru in turn.

- "I want to look at you too, Shizuru." – Natsuki said. She leaned forward a bit so she could whisper the next part. – "All of you. And I want you to see all of me."

Amazingly, a blush spread across Shizuru's face at this. The sight made Natsuki instantly understand why Shizuru always tried to make her blush. It not only made the girl beautiful; it made her sexy. With this added appeal, she couldn't hold herself back any longer. She had to see all of Shizuru. Natsuki brought her hands down to Shizuru's bra. After gently massaging Shizuru's breasts through it for a moment, until her nipples were both erect and Shizuru was aching with need for her, Natsuki slipped her hands in under the bra and pushed it upwards.

Shizuru could feel her face flooding with a blush as Natsuki pushed her bra out of the way. She briefly wondered why the girl didn't go for the clasp to undo it, but then she realized that Natsuki might not have known about it. A bra like Natsuki's couldn't have had any clasp, and maybe that was how most bras in Earl were. But that was something they could talk about later. For now, Shizuru brought her hands back from where they were resting on Natsuki's sides and helped pull her bra off over her head while Natsuki's hands started tentatively exploring her flesh.

Natsuki was certainly enjoying herself with Shizuru's breasts. She'd never thought before of just how enjoyable it would be to feel someone else's breasts like this. Shizuru's breasts were so smooth and soft, and every motion of her hands on them brought the girl pleasure. Natsuki smiled happily and she explored, taking careful note of what seemed to make Shizuru react best. She soon figured out that Shizuru particularly seemed to like it when she squeezed down, applying a fair bit of force, but only when she came at it gently and slowly. With this in mind, Natsuki worked at massaging Shizuru's breasts, pressing her way in and out, eliciting a chorus of moans from the girl.

Eventually, Shizuru wasn't able to hold herself back anymore. The feelings in her breasts were starting to overwhelm her, and she needed Natsuki. She pulled her arms up to wrap around the girl and pull her down, meeting Natsuki's lips with her own and pressing their breasts together. She pulled Natsuki in tightly, and she tentatively brought her tongue out to slip into the girl's mouth. It was soon met by its companion, and the two soon started playing happily together, exploring the depths of each other's mouth.

Shizuru started moving her hands along Natsuki's back, though she noticed that she could barely feel the wings that had formed there. For some reason, her hands simply passed through them with minimal resistance. However, Natsuki seemed to tremble whenever she did so. One time she even let out a bit of a sob and utter Shizuru's name into their kiss. Natsuki had no clue as to what was causing this, thinking it was all just the emotions running rampant within her, but Shizuru soon figured out the more direct cause. For some reason, her moving her hands through the wings was forcing feelings of love into Natsuki, and this led Shizuru to come up with an idea. However, before she went that far, the two of them still had clothes to get rid of.

Wrapping her arms around Natsuki, Shizuru braced herself and then rolled the two of them over to her right, so that she was lying down beside Natsuki. Natsuki let out a sharp gasp and tears formed in her eyes as her left wing was plunged down through the mattress, causing a torrent of love to rush through her mind – which she once more just chalked up to her emotions going haywire under Shizuru's influence. However, she was still quite able to focus on the situation, and so she noticed that Shizuru's hands were now working on her pants, pulling them downwards. With her smile turning mischievous, she brought her own hands down to work on returning the favor to Shizuru, opening up the lower part of her robe and pulling down the girl's panties just as she felt Shizuru doing the same to her, taking her pants and underwear down in one motion.

Soon enough, the two of them were completely naked, with all of their clothes tossed to the side. They spent a few minutes simply lying there, gazing over each other. Shizuru was a bit surprised to see just how much care Natsuki had taken with tending to her pubic hair. She certainly didn't seem like the type who would give something like that a second thought, and yet she'd kept it neatly styled. It was grown a bit long, but was trimmed to perfection.

- _"You certainly are full of surprises…"_ – Shizuru thought.

Meanwhile, Natsuki was equally enthralled by the sight of how Shizuru kept her hair down there. She'd trimmed it down to be only about half an inch or so long, and it looked just as soft as the hair on her head, if not even more so. Unable to help herself, Natsuki brought her hand in to feel it, finding that it was indeed incredible soft and sweet, though sweeter still was the light moan mixed with a giggle from Shizuru, who then brought her own hand in to rest on Natsuki's. Natsuki looked up to Shizuru's face and caught her amused gaze.

- "Does Natsuki like what she feels?" – Shizuru asked.

- "Do I ever." – Natsuki replied with a smile.

- "That's good." – Shizuru said. – "But now it's Natsuki's turn to receive my touch."

Before Natsuki had a chance to process this through her mind, Shizuru snatched her hand away and quickly turned the girl over onto her back and climbed on top of her. Suddenly, a shock of emotions overwhelmed Natsuki, and she was at a loss as to what had caused it. Her mind was alight with love, and it was all she could do to keep from openly crying. Her body started to burn with need for Shizuru. Every inch of her skin felt like it was on fire, but her breasts and crotch particularly ached.

Fortunately, Shizuru didn't keep her in need for long. She knew just what had caused Natsuki's need, in fact had planned for it. Forcing both of the girl's wings into the bed had caused the same reaction as before, only at a much higher intensity, causing the girl to be flooded with feelings of love.

Pleased that her plan had worked so perfectly, Shizuru decided to continue on now and take Natsuki all the way. She brought her right hand up to gently fondle Natsuki's left breast, and she brought her mouth down to meet the right one. While her hand started feeling the firm orb, massaging the ache out of it, her mouth kissed its way around the other one. Shizuru mixed in a few licks with her kisses, circling Natsuki's nipple and forcing all the ache to pile up there. Soon enough, the need in it was almost painful, and Natsuki let out a deep moan.

This was just what Shizuru was waiting for, and she immediately took the nipple into her mouth and sucked down on it. The sudden disappearance of all the aching and the replacement of it with sweet pleasure caused Natsuki's body to tighten up in a little moment of ecstasy. She tried to release all the tension with a moan, but it came out as more of just a squeak. She didn't have any chance to lower the pitch down to something more palatable to her pride, though, as Shizuru kept up the ministrations of both her hand and mouth, forcing more pleasure through Natsuki with every motion and causing her to let out a series of further squeaks.

Shizuru had Natsuki completely at her mercy, and she was enjoying every minute of it. It was like taking her teasing to another level. Natsuki even had an adorable blush on her face now, which Shizuru confirmed when she paused a moment to glance up. Her face was also contorted into a grimace of pleasure, and she made so many cute noises which begged Shizuru to go further. Of course, she couldn't help but comply with such a sweet request.

Natsuki let out a moan of protest as she felt Shizuru's hand and mouth loosen up from her breasts a bit. It was barely keeping her satisfied there as it was, and her need was growing stronger still down lower. She wrapped her arms around Shizuru's shoulders and tried to pull her in to get her to continue her work, but Shizuru had another plan. She raised her mouth off of Natsuki's breast and kissed her way up to the girl's neck. Natsuki squirmed beneath Shizuru as her impulses warred within her. What Shizuru was doing felt so good, and yet she was moving in the wrong direction.

…Except her hand wasn't. Natsuki had lost track of Shizuru's hands as she was focused on the girl's mouth. She now found that Shizuru's left hand had reached under her and across her back, which for some reason made her feel incredibly loved and supported, and Shizuru's right hand was now resting on her lower stomach, drifting downwards. Her breath hitched and her body tensed up in eager anticipation. Her world focused in on the hand. She needed its touch; she couldn't wait for it.

Shizuru didn't disappoint her. With all the teasing that had gone on before, Natsuki had been expecting her to stop just before she got to the good parts, but Shizuru did no such thing. Perhaps she was just as eager as Natsuki was, as her hand slid right in, immediately peeling open Natsuki's lower lips and causing a delightful flood of warmth to spread throughout her body. Natsuki instinctively spread her legs to help open herself up more for Shizuru's access to her most intimate regions.

Shizuru's fingers started to explore around inside Natsuki, sending what felt like sparks of pleasure through her body as they hit certain points. Shizuru was new to all of this, and she didn't have much of an idea of what was best to do, so she tried to use Natsuki's reactions as a guide. It was a bit hard to judge though, as Natsuki seemed to be finding almost everything pleasurable at this moment, so aroused was she. Soon though, Shizuru figured out that a certain nub near the top of Natsuki's slit caused her to react more strongly than other places, and so she started to focus on this. Sure enough, all of Natsuki's squirming and jerking beneath Shizuru became stronger, and her squeaks of pleasure became even louder.

Natsuki's vision went black as all of her senses focused on Shizuru's fingers. They'd found a spot within her which caused an electric reaction within her body. She wasn't able to control any of the motions she was making, save only to make her arms squeeze down tighter on Shizuru. But things only got more pleasurable from there, as Natsuki could feel her clit poking its way out of its hood at Shizuru's prodding of it. When Shizuru realized this as well and gently pinched down on it, Natsuki's pleasure started rocketing upwards.

- "Sh-Shizuru!" – Natsuki cried out the name of the girl who was making her feel so wonderful. She didn't know how much longer she could take this – it felt like she was going to explode soon – but she wanted to say the name of her lover, to connect with her, as much as she could on her way to the end.

- "Na-tsu-ki…" Shizuru cooed out slowly, raising her head from the girl's neck so she could watch her face as this moment hit for her. She knew that Natsuki was getting close, but she wanted to be able to push her over in just the perfect way. She wanted their union to be as complete as possible. While Shizuru's hand moved around within Natsuki, bringing her thumb in to gently rub over the girl's clit, Shizuru moved her mouth up to her ear.

Something was building within Natsuki, and it was threatening to burst. Everything felt so good right now that she didn't want it to end, and yet she wanted to feel the even greater pleasure she knew was coming. She wanted to be one with Shizuru… to give her her virginity and to consolidate their love. She started to call out the girl's name rapidly as her peak approached.

- "I love you, Natsuki."

Natsuki had barely noticed how Shizuru's hand had shifted inside of her, but now she realized that some fingers were poking in at her a bit lower. They were only there for a second before, all at once, Shizuru's thumb squeezed in on her clit while two of her fingers simultaneously plunged inside Natsuki, tearing through her virginity and causing the bubble within her to finally burst, showering her with such amazing pleasure that she couldn't even feel any pain from her broken hymen.

Natsuki jerked and writhed under Shizuru, the last utterance of the girl's name having turned into a shriek. Shizuru held her right hand steady inside the girl while she supported her as best as she could with her left. A bright light rose up from underneath Natsuki, and Shizuru could see her wings pushing her up off of the mattress. The pale blue light from before now glowed brilliantly, and just as Natsuki tensed up on Shizuru's fingers, the wings appeared to burst into a cascade of colors. The sight was so beautiful that Shizuru nearly fell in love with the girl all over again. She wanted to provoke that reaction as much as possible, to have her Natsuki screaming in pleasure like that every night.

Natsuki fell back to the bed as her wings disappeared from under her, so wrapped up in pleasure that she still had no clue what was happening. The explosion within her had passed, leaving with it what felt like a beautiful glow. Everything within her felt wonderful, but most of all was Shizuru's hand, still locked inside of her. Some soreness was starting to make itself heard, thanks to her lost virginity, but Natsuki loved even that. It was proof of her bond with Shizuru. She was Shizuru's, now and forever.

As she let out a contented sigh, Natsuki allowed her eyes to drift open. They fell upon the beautiful face of her beloved, watching over her with love in her eyes. Shizuru's right hand came up to gently caress her cheek, still wet from Natsuki's juices, but neither of them minded. Natsuki simply rubbed her face into it and smiled up at Shizuru. She was feeling quite worn out by her orgasm, and Shizuru seemed to be trying to lull her to sleep, but there was just no way she was going to let this night pass without returning the favor. She had to make Shizuru hers.

However, she currently faced the problem of her position relative to Shizuru. Shizuru had allowed her body to come to rest on top of Natsuki's, and Natsuki simply didn't have the energy to dislodge her at this moment. That just left her the option of convincing Shizuru that it was in her best interests to let Natsuki repay her. It shouldn't be too hard, but Natsuki wasn't good at phrasing matters like this at her most clear-headed, and she was far from that now.

Natsuki gazed up into Shizuru's eyes, hoping the girl might recognize her intentions, and she allowed her hands to drift off of Shizuru's back and onto her sides.

-"I want you, Shizuru," – she said.

Shizuru quirked an eyebrow at this.

-"Ara? Natsuki already has me, does she not?"

-"No." – Natsuki shook her head. She tried to wedge her right hand in between herself and Shizuru, using the gap just below their breasts. As she brought it up to feel her love's breast once more, she repeated, "I want _you_."

Shizuru chuckled and nuzzled her face into Natsuki's neck for a minute, failing at her goal of distracting the girl. She'd been hoping that the girl would have been worn out enough to simply fall off to sleep now, but perhaps letting her return the favor wasn't exactly a bad idea…

-"Alright, Natsuki, you can have me, if you just do one thing." – Shizuru said after she brought her head back up to look at Natsuki, who was currently adorably amused by Shizuru's attempts to distract her. She rolled off to the side of Natsuki so that the girl had a clearing to climb on top. – "I want to see all of you. I want to see your wings again."

-"My… wings?" – Natsuki asked, stunned. She paused in her motions to roll Shizuru over onto her back as she consider this. "Er… why do you want to see them?"

Shizuru brought a hand around Natsuki's side and lightly trailed it down her back, around where she thought the girl's wings sprouted from.

-"Because they're so beautiful… and I want to see all of Natsuki. Does Natsuki not want to be completely exposed for her love?" – Shizuru said, giving Natsuki her best puppy eyes. She knew that she'd already seen a form of them during their previous experience, but she wanted to see their regular form too, and she also wanted to be able to touch them and see what they felt like.

Natsuki melted at these words from Shizuru. Of course it would be alright with her. Even if it weren't, there was no way she could deny Shizuru something she wanted this much, especially when it was as sweet and loving as this. Smiling at her love as she proceeded to roll her onto her back and sit on top, she said:

-"Alright, Shizuru. If you want it that much, it'll be my pleasure."

Shizuru grinned giddily at this. She took a second to roll over to the side to turn on her reading light so that she'd be able to get a good look at Natsuki. She hadn't even noticed how much light Natsuki's phantom wings were providing, but now that it was gone, she needed some other way to admire her lover.

Pushing all of her worries asides with thoughts of Shizuru, Natsuki took a calming breath and manifested her wings behind her, all for Shizuru's pleasure. And quite pleased she indeed was. Shizuru watched this spectacle in awe. The sight of Natsuki's wings growing from her back was magical and absolutely beautiful.

One might have thought that something like this would have seemed unnatural, but the wings seemed perfectly in place with Natsuki. They were a part of her, just as beautiful as the rest, and it didn't seem at all strange to Shizuru to see them growing out of her lover. In fact, at this moment, as she gazed up at her nude lover, wings spread in display, she decided that Natsuki looked so much better and more complete with them out.

The only thing that could compare was the set of phantom wings she'd seen earlier, while pleasuring the girl. It was hard to say which was better. Perhaps it was like making love, in that. It was extraordinarily fun pleasuring Natsuki, but it would of course also be enjoyable to receive pleasure in turn. Shizuru had yet to experience just how enjoyable it would be to receive Natsuki's touch, but she doubted that it could compare to the feelings she felt upon giving such pleasure to Natsuki.

Natsuki's wings flapped gently as Shizuru watched them. Natsuki's face had looked a bit nervous at first, but she relaxed into a contented smile as Shizuru appreciated her wings. When she thought that Shizuru had had a good enough look, she curled them forwards and leaned down, so that her wings rested along the mattress on either side of Shizuru, enveloping her.

A blush made its way to Shizuru's face at this sweet gesture from Natsuki. Even in the shadows provided by her wings, this didn't go unnoticed by the other girl. Her hand came up, and she gently stroked the back of her finger down Shizuru's cheek, causing the blush to deepen further. Shizuru was starting to feel all sorts of giddy feelings rushing through her body at this tender treatment from Natsuki.

Shizuru blinked back tears that were forming in her eyes. It was hard to believe that this was all really happening. She'd dreamed about Natsuki for so long, she was in love for so long, and yet she'd never thought of a moment like this actually happening for her. Her fantasies had never gotten this far, and yet she'd brought the two of them here tonight on a surge of emotion. She didn't know if she was really ready for this, if it was even possible to truly be ready, but she wanted it. She wanted to give herself completely to Natsuki, as the girl had just done for her.

"You can touch them if you want, you know…" – Natsuki said, nervousness tingeing her voice. She'd never been this intimate with anyone before, but Shizuru was going to be her first for everything. If she wanted to touch Natsuki's wings, then she of course could.

Shizuru's blush turned an even deeper shade of red at this further sweet gesture from the girl. Excitement welled in her chest as she brought her right hand up to meet the top of Natsuki's wing. She stroked it down along the inside, feeling the unbelievably soft texture of the feathers, and the power muscles resting just underneath. Natsuki shivered almost undetectably from the touch, and her wings instinctively pulled inwards, pressing in against Shizuru's sides and holding her sweetly in place.

Natsuki's presence was starting to overwhelm Shizuru. She could feel herself getting more and more aroused by the girl and falling under her control, and Natsuki hadn't even started touching her yet, beyond the wings at her sides and the finger to her cheek a bit earlier. But maybe that wasn't really the point after all, at least now. Shizuru looked up into Natsuki's eyes, and she focused on the love she saw there. That was the point of all this. They were making love, in every sense of the phrase Shizuru could imagine.

Shizuru's mask finally, irrevocably shattered as this thought crossed her mind, and her body completely surrendered itself to Natsuki. The blush that had been pushing at her cheeks spread through all of her face, and tears broke from her eyes. Her chest swelled with need for Natsuki, and her arms shot up to wrap the girl, trying to fulfill her need before she started sobbing openly.

But fortunately, her lover was blessed with a moment of clarity now, and she'd already started descending towards Shizuru as she saw her lover's emotional breakdown. Natsuki's lips pressed gently against Shizuru's just as the other girl's arms wrapped around her back. She planted a series of kisses on her vulnerable lover's lips, and she pulled her wings in tightly to hold Shizuru securely in place.

Shizuru could feel herself weakening as Natsuki's kisses continued. The girl's hands drifted down from where they were resting by her face, coming to a rest on her shoulders. The touch seemed to send a wave of love through Shizuru, and she had to struggle to return the kisses, even though with how gently Natsuki was being, she didn't have to work too hard.

Somewhat surprisingly, Natsuki seemed to sense Shizuru's weakness now. She moved off to the side from the girl's lips, kissing her way along Shizuru's cheek. The motions here caused Shizuru to reflexively turn her head to the side a bit more with every peck, until Natsuki's lips landed just over Shizuru's ear and she whispered:

-"It's alright Shizuru. Just leave everything to me."

Shizuru let out a whimper in response to this. She wanted to say more, but it was all she could manage now. However, Natsuki seemed intent on breaking her down even more. She followed up the whispers with gently blowing into Shizuru's ear, sending a wave of shivers through her. Shizuru hadn't thought it was possible, but she weakened even further. She didn't know how much further she could go, but Natsuki seemed intent on pushing her all the way, as she followed up the blowing by flicking her tongue out to lick around inside Shizuru's ear. The image of Natsuki doing this that formed in Shizuru's mind was too adorable for words, and it caused a wave of sweet warmth to flood through her body.

Natsuki kept the warmth alive as her mouth moved down from Shizuru's ear to start kissing at her neck. Her love seemed to stoke the fire within Shizuru, and her body started to feel alive and tingling with need for her lover's touch. Her breaths turned into soft moans, and she tried to push a message of encouragement into them so that Natsuki could satisfy the need within her.

Natsuki certainly got the message, or at least she was planning to do so anyways. As she gently sucked on Shizuru's neck with her mouth, her hands drifted downwards from Shizuru's shoulders and started exploring her body. They stopped briefly at her breasts to give them a gentle massage, using the tricks Natsuki had figured out earlier to best pleasure them and make Shizuru moan a bit harder, but then they continued with the rest of her body.

Natsuki seemed intent on feeling as much of Shizuru as she could reach without abandoning her mouth's spot on the girl's neck. Her hands drifted down Shizuru's stomach, and then they came back up along her sides. The tingling that Shizuru had felt growing on her skin was calmed when Natsuki's hands passed over it. She imagined that this was Natsuki's way of possessing every bit of her; she was covering every bit of Shizuru's skin with her hands while her mouth sucked down hard on Shizuru's neck. It was probably hard enough to leave a mark there, but it felt far to good for Shizuru to be able to ask her to stop, even if she wanted her to. But as she thought about it, the thought of being marked as Natsuki's aroused her even further.

Apparently Natsuki felt like she'd done enough to mark Shizuru now, and her lips gently loosened their grip on the girl's neck. An ache spread from the spot they abandoned, but it was a sweet pain, and Shizuru welcomed it. Natsuki took care of that spot though, and she gave it a few sweet kisses and licks as she tended to it, making sure her mark showed up properly. Shizuru couldn't help but feel a little flattered by the attention, and the warmth within her further welled up, now threatening to spill out.

Despite the calm, confident exterior she was putting up for the sake of her lover, Natsuki was nervous as hell inside. She was constantly worrying about whether Shizuru would enjoy what she was doing, if she'd be mad later about receiving a love bite, if Natsuki was taking to long with the foreplay, if she'd prefer more physical foreplay to the emotional work, and so on. She wanted to just ask if she was doing alright, but that would certainly ruin the mood. And so she had to guess. She was guessing right now that Shizuru would prefer more emotional foreplay, and it was starting to feel like she'd brought her as far as she could with this tactic. It was time to bring her the rest of the way.

With this decision, Natsuki sat back up and took a second to gaze down at Shizuru. She moved her hands gently down the girl's sides until Shizuru's curiosity led her to turn her head and gaze up at Natsuki. This was just what Natsuki was waiting for, and she took this moment to pull her wings back from where they were near Shizuru and to extend them outwards, flapping gently as she posed for her lover with her most open smile on her face. If Shizuru liked looking at her so much, then she was going to get quite the view now.

It didn't take long for Shizuru to realize Natsuki's intentions and smile back. The girl could be so adorable and sweet at times. As nervous as she was about showing her wings earlier, she was now proudly displaying their beauty for Shizuru. After admiring them for a few moments, Shizuru gazed back into her lover's eyes to thank her.

Shizuru found something else there, however. Hidden behind Natsuki's love was nervousness. Was Natsuki afraid of taking the next step? She seemed to be doing everything she could to prepare Shizuru for it, but she was pausing nervously before proceeding. It was so cute, and Shizuru wanted to do whatever she could to help her love push through with this and claim her as her own.

Natsuki was stunned when Shizuru grabbed her left hand, and even more stunned when it was led to the girl's breast. But she quickly recovered though, realizing that Shizuru was telling her just what she needed now. She needed Natsuki's touch, and so she was going to get it. Smiling back at her girlfriend, Natsuki started gently massaging the breast with her hand, pleased as the girl below her let out a soft moan of pleasure. She decided then that she was going to work to nurture that sound, and bring out many more like it.

That first moan was followed by many more as Natsuki kept up her work on Shizuru's breast, using all the tricks she'd figured out earlier. However, she only worked on the one this time, as she had another plan in mind for her other hand. As Shizuru was distracted by her ministrations with her left hand, her right came down to once more feel the soft hair of Shizuru's mound. When her hand landed there, Shizuru's gentle moans were interrupted by a small gasp, and her body seemed to tense with anticipation.

Although Natsuki wanted to leave her hand there for a while longer, getting back at the girl for all the teasing she'd been put through, she just couldn't do it this time. This was Shizuru's first time, and Natsuki wanted to make it as sweet as possible for her. There'd be time enough to take her revenge and keep Shizuru on edge and at her mercy for as long as she deserved their next time together. For now, it was time to simply make love to her.

Closing her eyes so she could savor the moment, Natsuki let her hand slip downwards, until she was cupping Shizuru's slit, feeling the warmth radiating out from it. She didn't spend too much time taunting Shizuru with this position, though, and she soon curled her index finger in to poke at the top of her love's slit. She found it to be incredibly wet, even on the outside. Shizuru must have been quite aroused.

Shizuru let out a sharp gasp as she felt Natsuki's finger start to probe at her slit. The feeling was electric. Was this what she made Natsuki feel not long ago? It was amazing, and they weren't nearly finished yet, even, as Natsuki proceeded to slowly drag the finger down her slit. Operating on instinct, Shizuru spread her legs out to open herself for Natsuki, forcing the girl to move her own legs out of the way briefly. Shizuru then curled her legs in to wrap around Natsuki; she needed to hold on some way, and the drawback to being able to view Natsuki like this above her was that she was out of reach of Shizuru's arms.

Natsuki gasped as Shizuru opened herself up for her. The gesture was so sweet and intimate, so… cute. Natsuki felt love welling up in her chest as she thought of this. She found herself exploring Shizuru's insides with both her eyes and her finger. She'd never seen quite this view before, and she was inwardly amazed with all the lust it brought up within her. Of course, she shouldn't have been to surprised after all the feelings Shizuru had already invoked in her, but this just sealed the deal with her attraction to the girl. She was in love, in lust, the whole deal.

Natsuki was so enthralled with the sight and her explorations that she didn't even notice the effect she was having on Shizuru. The girl had started to writhe beneath her from the tentative movements of her finger. Somehow the random motions of it were driving Shizuru even crazier than steady motions would have. Not knowing where she'd be touched next was maddening, but she loved every minute of it. Her head flew from side to side as she let out moans from every touch.

Eventually, though, Shizuru's moans became loud enough that Natsuki was pulled out of her thoughts and she realized what she was doing to the girl. Chuckling lightly, she figured that it was about time she worked at bringing Shizuru to her conclusion. Remembering how it was Shizuru's ministrations of the nub near the top of her slit that really pushed her over the edge, Natsuki searched out the same nub within Shizuru. Her previous explorations had roused it from its hood, and so she was now free to start gently stroking it with her fingers.

Shizuru gave a sharp gasp and her eyes immediately moistened up as Natsuki started stroking her clit. The feeling was incredible. It was as if Natsuki had lit a fire in her from that spot, and every stroke of her fingers caused the tendrils of pleasure to flick around within Shizuru's body. She couldn't help but jerk in tune with Natsuki's movements, at least until they became too rapid for her muscles to keep up.

However, it became apparent to Shizuru soon that something just wasn't quite right. A need was building within her that wasn't being satisfied. Her fingers clenched down on the blanket beneath her and she started to chew on her lips as she tried to grasp something that was just out of her reach. She needed Natsuki, to hold her close, but the girl's body was just too far away. Shizuru struggled to form words through her moans:

-"Naaa… Na-tsuki… need…"

It wasn't much, but Natsuki was clear-minded enough to be able to put this together with Shizuru's hands gripping the mattress. Deciding instantly that her lover's needs were more important than her view, she shifted her legs underneath Shizuru so she was able to lean forward. She used her free hand to pry Shizuru's right hand loose from the sheets. When the girl realized what Natsuki was doing, her arms were around the girl in an instant, one just above and one just below the girl's wings.

Natsuki's fingers were forced to find their place again inside Shizuru as the girl repositioned herself, but this was much to Shizuru's benefit. Just as Natsuki was slipping her index and middle fingers back in to work on Shizuru, they slipped straight inside of her instead. Shizuru gasped at the sudden pleasure and tears started leaking from her eyes as she felt Natsuki inside of her. Her muscles clenched in on the girl's fingers, trying to hold her inside in case she got any ideas about leaving to get back to working on her clit – not that that would be such a bad thing, though.

Natsuki was initially paralyzed as she realized that she'd accidentally plunged two of her fingers straight into Shizuru, and she thought about pulling back, but she quickly dismissed this thought. She was doing this to forge a connection with Shizuru, and there was no better way to connect than this, especially with how Shizuru was squeezing down on her to hold her inside. Smiling to herself, Natsuki started sliding her fingers around within Shizuru, feeling out the depths of her lover as she brought her waves of pleasure.

Shizuru's mind started to slip from her as she descended into a world of simple pleasure. An image of Natsuki scored itself into her mind's eye in place of her vision. The girl was her angel, and she was bringing Shizuru to heaven with her touch. Shizuru didn't know how much longer the trip would take, but she couldn't decide whether it would be better to get to her peak quickly or to prolong the pleasurable journey.

But the decision was in Natsuki's hands, not hers, and Natsuki seemed to have decided that now was the time to push Shizuru to her peak. Natsuki's fingers plunged their way in and out of Shizuru rapidly, and then she pushed them in as deeply as she could and wiggled them around inside, touching such sweetly sensitive spots. Shizuru could feel her body screaming for release as Natsuki rubbed viciously inside her. She writhed under Natsuki and squeezed herself against the girl, attaching her mouth to the girl's neck in a cross between a kiss and a scream. She was so close now, right on the edge, she just needed something… one last thing to push her over it, but she had no idea what it was she needed.

Natsuki was starting to realize this too, and she was trying to figure out just what it was Shizuru needed now. As pleasurable as she was sure this moment was for her lover, she knew that it would be torture to keep her there if she wasn't able to bring her all the way, so she needed to do something. She flashed back on how Shizuru had pushed her over the edge, and she knew just the thing. She twisted her fingers around inside the girl and squeezed in, pressing her palm into the girl's clit just as she said:

-"I love you too, Shizuru."

Shizuru finally exploded at this, screaming with raw pleasure into Natsuki's neck. Emotions poured through her body and made their way out of her through a mixture of tears, sobs that broke through the screaming, and spasms throughout her body, particularly her arms, which squeezed down on the source of her pleasure. Shizuru's mind froze itself in this moment, concentrating on the immense pleasure and the love that she shared with Natsuki.

-"Na… tsuki…" – Shizuru managed to get out through her sobs.

Shizuru clutched at her love. The moment of pure pleasure was leaving her, and she was starting to fall back to earth. But she knew that she could never truly fall with this angel here for her, to keep her flying. She held onto her angel as her body tried to bring her back down. She wasn't going without a fight, and she held onto every wave of pleasure that passed through her, riding it for dear life.

Natsuki could feel Shizuru breaking down in her arms. Her orgasm had overwhelmed the girl, even more so than Natsuki's had. Shizuru even seemed intent on riding the aftershocks for all they were worth, grinding herself into Natsuki's hand to draw out even more pleasure and break herself down even further. Soon enough, the girl had broken herself down into a sweet pile of nothing but love, crying out "Natsuki" repeatedly.

Natsuki pulled Shizuru apart from her just long enough to observe the tears streaming down the girl's face before Shizuru pulled back in, burying her head in Natsuki's chest. Afraid that the pressure of her body on top of the other girl's might cause her to suffocate with how much her breathing was already struggling, Natsuki rolled the two of them over onto the side. She moved her hands out to wrap around Shizuru and hold her soothingly, stroking the girl's back.

There was just no way Shizuru was going to recover from this tonight, Natsuki realized. She was headed for sleep now, and all she could do was to make it as comfortable as possible for her. She briefly considered pulling the sheets out from beneath the two of them, but a much better and more intimate idea struck her. Smiling with love, Natsuki propped herself and Shizuru up with her elbow for a moment as she pulled her left wing in under the two of them. She then allowed herself and Shizuru to rest on it as her right wing closed over the two girls. Wrapped securely in the wings of her lover, Shizuru finally drifted off sleep.

TBC…

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Shezaei neko's note: I hope you liked this chapter. I don't know when we'll have the next one so please be patient. Thanks for your support.

Leebot's Note: I have to say, this one took quite a lot out of me. It was a lot longer than the other chapters in this fic, and even pushing the long end of chapters I usually write. On top of that, the sex scene here covers both of them getting theirs in much detail, where I usually only do one per chapter (or both at once in one case). I was also worried a bit about having Natsuki's more magical experience come first, that this might make Shizuru's seem like a bit of a let-down, so I tried as well as I could to spruce it up in its own way. You'll all have to let me know whether you think it worked. Hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shezaeineko's notes**: Hello everyone, I apologize for the long wait but finally here it is this new chapter. I hope you like it. Maybe some of you have wondered about the title of this fic that it sounds weird and that has a grammar mistake; it's not my making, I took the name from a song, and I thought it fitted. Could you guess from which anime it is? I'll give you some hints: the composer is the same as the one that made the music for the anime that gave me inspiration to write this one, but is not from that series. And Maaya Sakamoto sings the ending theme of that series.

Well, that would be all. Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks to Leebot-sensei for beta-ing the chapter.

Don't forget to review.

This chapter has RATING: T.

**Disclaimer**: Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise.

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**Into the Another World - Chapter 5**

The warmth and sweet scent engulfed Shizuru's senses. It was such a nice and wonderful feeling that she didn't want to wake up, but sadly, it seemed that her body was already programmed to wake up at this very hour everyday. Lazily she opened her eyes, and the rays of the sun blinded her for a second. When she could focus again, her eyes fell on the most gorgeous creature she'd ever met: her angel. Natsuki was still asleep; her arms were around Shizuru's waist in a firm yet caring hold, her mouth was slightly open and her breath caressed the older girl's front. Shizuru smiled at the sight; she looked so peaceful in her dreams, so innocent, even more angelic – if that could even be possible. That's when Shizuru noticed that Natsuki's wings were still covering them.

- "They are so soft and warm… just like her heart." – thought the girl while stretching her hand out carefully to gently touch the feathers.

Natsuki stirred a bit when Shizuru made contact with her wing. Shizuru's smile widened at this. Not being able to stop herself, she propped herself carefully up on her elbow and kissed the wing she had just touched. Natsuki's body once again reacted to such contact, but this time it was enough to wake up the sleeping girl. Her eyes began to open slowly, revealing shiny emerald eyes; just like Shizuru, she needed time to focus her sight again upon waking. When she did, she met crimson orbs and a smiling face.

- "Good morning." – said Natsuki in a husky voice while smiling at the chestnut-haired girl lying by her side.

- "Good morning Natsuki."

Shizuru leaned forward to capture the soft lips of her lover in a sweet and loving kiss. Natsuki gladly accepted the affectionate action. After the precious minutes that it lasted, both girls pulled away with blushes on their faces. Natsuki's mind was a bit dazed, but her eyes reflected another emotion, something more 'naughty' in Shizuru's opinion. She cupped Natsuki's face and, staring at her emerald eyes, she said.

- "Even if I'd love to spend all my day here in bed with you, we have to get up Natsuki."

- "Uh? ...Oh, yeah of course…"

After giving a quick peck to Natsuki's lips, Shizuru got up from the bed while wrapping a sheet around her body. On the other hand, Natsuki watched every move of Shizuru's body; after she saw her wrap her body with a sheet from the bed, she decided to do the same. That's when she remembered that her wings were still out, so she closed her eyes and after concentrating for a couple of seconds her wings shone and then molted. While she was taking a sheet to cover herself, she said out of the blue.

- "This sure is a strange inn. I wonder in what part of Earl we are…"

Shizuru stopped right in her tracks. She'd almost forgotten about it; they were no longer in Earl, but of course she was the only one to notice it, so she had to inform Natsuki of this fact. However she was feeling a bit anxious about doing so.

- "What if Natsuki panics? Or says that she doesn't want to be here?..." – thought Shizuru.

These and many other questions were forming in her mind when Natsuki called her.

- "Shizuru? Is something the matter?"

- "Natsuki… I have something to tell you."

- "What is it?"

Shizuru walked towards Natsuki and sat at the edge of the bed just next to her lover. Taking her lover's hands between her own, she took a breath and prepared her next words. She was afraid of what would happen, but she had to do it; it was unfair to keep this kind of information from Natsuki, but also, sooner or later the girl would find out and the consequences might be severe. That's why Shizuru began to explain, to avoid that kind of situation.

- "Natsuki… we…" – she paused for a second – "We are not in Earl anymore."

Natsuki's eyes opened widely in surprise rather than shock, but she didn't say anything, not a single word, which preoccupied Shizuru.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Ho-how are you so sure about that?" – asked the raven haired girl.

- "Because this room is 'my place' Natsuki; this is where I live."

- "You mean we are in…in 'The Guiding Star'?"

- "Yes Natsuki, we are in the Earth, 'The Guiding Star'."

Natsuki was left speechless. For a minute she thought that Shizuru was making a joke, something to tease her as always, but the determination and sincerity she saw in her eyes made her realize that she was telling the truth. She couldn't believe it; she was in 'The Guiding Star' for Shinso-sama's sake! The place everyone thought was a mere fantasy, a folktale, a legend.

- "How… how is this possible?" – said Natsuki, voicing out her thoughts.

Shizuru squeezed her hands to draw Natsuki's attention. When the emerald eyes were looking at her she said.

- "I don't know Natsuki, but we'll find the answer okay?" – reassured Shizuru.

- "Okay… …but…"

- "But?"

- "This is totally unexpected, yet very cool."

Shizuru was a bit surprised at Natsuki's words, apparently the girl didn't find the situation disturbing or worrying.

- "How so?" – asked Shizuru.

- "Well, I always wondered what the 'Guiding Star' would be like. I used to dream about it when I was little; my mother always told me that maybe someday I'd discover something about it." – said Natsuki as a small smile adorned her face. She remembered those happy times with her mother.

Shizuru was more than relieved now that she'd told Natsuki, who took the news very well; in fact, it seemed that she enjoyed the outcome of these events. Now that they were back on Earth, she could show all of its wonders to the raven-haired angel. Still wrapped in the bed sheet, she turned her head to look at the digital clock that was on the nightstand. It was the weekend, meaning she didn't have to go to school today, but it seemed that the date was a bit off. Maybe the clock had a malfunction during her time out? Or could it be that she was sent some days in the past before going to Earl? No, that couldn't be, could it? Putting those thoughts aside, she called Natsuki.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Yeah?"

- "I'm going to take a shower…"

- "Sure."

- "Would you like to join me?" – asked Shizuru in a teasing tone. Natsuki of course blushed.

- "Wha-what?! No… I'll wait for you." – said Natsuki turning her head.

- "Ara, Natsuki? Why the embarrassment? Natsuki has already seen all of…"

- "Stop it! I… I know, it's just that…" – Natsuki trailed off as her blush deepened.

Shizuru understood that Natsuki was still a bit modest even after their lovely and passionate session last night. Not wanting to push and pressure her beloved angel more she decided to stop teasing Natsuki, even if it was extremely fun.

- "It's okay, Natsuki, I understand. I won't take long okay?" – said Shizuru walking to the washroom. Before she closed the door she said – "Feel free to look around."

With that last comment, she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Natsuki watched her intently until Shizuru disappeared behind the door. Now that her 'distraction' was out of sight, her gaze adjusted to the lack of light. A few rays were able to came through the curtains, but still it was a bit dark. Wrapping the sheet carefully around herself so it wouldn't fall from her body, Natsuki stood up carefully and began to look around Shizuru's place. Natsuki noticed that it wasn't really big, just enough for a person or two since it had only three rooms consisting of the bedroom, bathroom and a kitchenette. Natsuki was in awe at all the strange artifacts that were around the room. One that drew her attention was a black box that had a big glass in the middle; it had some buttons at the bottom, she began to press them to see what it did, when she pushed a big one the glass began to show images and other stuff. It startled her a little at first but then she was more interested in this thing. Turning it off she moved around the room until she stepped into the kitchenette and began to open the cupboards and the drawers; she also opened the small fridge and approached the stove, making the burners work, of course all the time she put everything back to the way it had been, since she didn't want to make a mess or cause an accident by not properly using all of this technology.

Going back to the room she took notice of other items that drew her attention even more given the fact that she recognized them: some books. With all the applied science she'd seen in Shizuru's place, she didn't expect that they'd still have them in the Guiding Star. She walked closer to the bookshelf and took out one book to then open it.

Her eyes opened widely, the characters in the book were very similar to the ones used in the Ziphang Empire; she merely recognized a few of them. She decided to take out another book, and this time the writing was completely different. She'd seem something like it in the old temples of Egzardia, that now were abandoned and in ruins. Of course Natsuki couldn't understand what the content of these books was about, but nonetheless the similarities between Earl and the Guiding Star amazed her, so much that she didn't notice the time passing. By the time Shizuru stepped out of the bathroom Natsuki had already taken out all of Shizuru's books from the shelf. Shizuru saw the girl so engrossed in the items that she couldn't help but to smile and then let out a small giggle. Really, she didn't think that Natsuki was a book person, that she'd find them fascinating enough to not notice her.

Natsuki heard the giggle and turned her head in the direction of the sound, only to find Shizuru clad only in a towel. The sight was beautiful, and she all could do was stare intently at her, her mouth falling open.

- "Ara, has Natsuki found something more interesting than the books?"

- "Not only interesting but exquisite." – replied Natsuki, without blushing by some miracle.

When Shizuru heard Natsuki say those words, she felt shivers run down her spine and her face showed a light tint of pink. She couldn't believe how serious and straightforward Natsuki could be when not being teased. Maybe it was due to the fact that her brain worked much better when she wasn't flustered; she'd have to keep that in mind.

- "Natsuki…"

Shizuru watched Natsuki walk towards her after putting down a book; when she was in front of the chestnut-haired girl she cupped her face and kissed the lips of her mystic girl. It was brief but very sweet; leaving both girls in need of more, but Shizuru knew that if they continued, they wouldn't be able to go out today at all.

- "Natsuki, why you don't take a bath while I change into some fresh clothes? There are some places where I want to take you today." – said Shizuru with a smile and caressing the black tresses of her beloved.

- "Really?" – Natsuki asked excited, which earned her a nod from Shizuru – "Okay! I won't take long!"

Natsuki ran off in the direction of the bathroom and closed the door. Shizuru's smile became bigger at the sight she just contemplated. Natsuki looked like a child, so innocent and pure. Not more than five minutes had passed since Natsuki had disappeared when she came back into the room again, a frown now in her features but also a light blush. Shizuru was a bit puzzled at such display, so she asked.

- "What's wrong Natsuki?"

- "Ehm… I…"

- "Yes?" – encouraged Shizuru.

- "I don't know how to make 'that' work properly." – said Natsuki pointing to the shower.

Shizuru smiled fondly at the girl and taking Natsuki's hand she guided her to the bathroom and showed her how to control the water's temperature with the faucets. Natsuki learned quickly, so when she adjusted the temperature she began to remove the bed sheet wrapped around her body. Shizuru of course enjoyed the free show and teased Natsuki once again before the raven-haired girl pushed her out of the room to then close the door. Shizuru let out a chuckle at the reaction; really her angel was superbly cute.

While Natsuki took her shower, Shizuru changed into some casual and comfortable clothes, after that, she went to the kitchenette to prepare something to eat; that's when she wondered what she should prepare since she didn't know if Natsuki would like it, as maybe she'd never eaten things like those before. She didn't notice how much time she'd been pondering about it until Natsuki got out of the bathroom. Shizuru turned around to see the girl wrapped in a short towel with her raven hair dripping wet; to Shizuru she looked like an angel.

- "How silly of me, she already is an angel…" – thought Shizuru as a small smile graced her lips.

Natsuki noticed how Shizuru was a bit distracted so she called her.

- "Shizuru, are you okay?"

- "Of course Natsuki, I was just thinking."

- "May I know what?"

- "Well, before you came in…" – said Shizuru gaining a slight blush from the other girl – "I was thinking about breakfast, I'm not sure of what to make."

- "Why is that a problem?"

- "Because I don't know if Natsuki will like it." – said Shizuru lowering her gaze.

Natsuki smiled at her beloved; approaching to her with a confident pace she took Shizuru's chin and raising her head so she could see her directly on her red ruby eyes she said softly.

- "Shizuru, if you're cooking it, I will like it. No matter what it is; I could even eat a Gurar leaf if it is your cooking."

Shizuru's heart skipped a beat at the sweetness of Natsuki's words; also the look in her eyes spoke volumes of how true her words were. She felt like crying, so she gave a quick kiss to those wonderful lips to then bury her head in Natsuki's chest. Natsuki for her part closed her eyes and embraced Shizuru in a very tender manner. Shizuru was content being that way when something crossed her mind, an unknown name that Natsuki said seconds ago.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Yeah?"

- "What is a Gurar leaf?"

Natsuki got a bit apart to look at her goddess's face and began to explain.

- "A Gurar leaf is a plant that grows in the woods near Aries. It is used in most of our food since it is said that it gives energy and makes you stronger. I never liked it because it's sour and the taste is horrible."

- "I wonder if I saw them in the markets in Earl."

- "We didn't come across any of them, not many people commercialize with it because it's hard to find and it only grows in a specific period of the moons."

- "I see. Well, thankfully, we don't have them in earth so Natsuki doesn't need to worry that I'd cook some of them." – said Shizuru smiling at Natsuki, at which the girl blushed. Then Shizuru kissed the top of Natsuki's nose and said as she walked to the kitchenette – "I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

After Shizuru left to prepare their food, Natsuki realized she had been wearing only a towel all this time. Her blush deepened as she thought about how she close was to Shizuru; her warmth, her sweet perfume, her soft skin. Giving a quick glance to the girl she rushed back near the bed to pick up her clothes and prevent her thoughts from running wild. Natsuki began to put her clothes on while thinking of how she had never felt that way for anyone before, not for anyone in Aries, much less for anyone elsewhere in Earl, but here she was, pouring her heart out to a girl from the guiding star.

- "I bet the counselors would make a fuss if they knew about it." – Natsuki thought with a smirk.

Adjusting her tank top she walked to the shelf where Shizuru's books were and began to place them back. As she did so, she began to whistle.

Shizuru heard the sound and walked to her room to see Natsuki with her back turned to her, arranging the books back in the shelf. Her features soon showed happiness and love; Natsuki was full of surprises it seemed.

- "For having a rebellious look, she's quite the opposite. I wonder if it has something to do with…" – trailed off Shizuru. Then she said – "Natsuki, breakfast is ready."

- "I'll be there in a second. I'm almost done here."

And indeed, not a minute had passed when Natsuki placed the last book in its place. Turning around she walked to the kitchenette and saw how Shizuru finished placing all the plates with food over the table. Natsuki sat in a chair in front of Shizuru and for the first time, she took a better look at the clothes the brunette was wearing,. Of course being from another planet she'd never seen such an attire before, however, even if it was simple it looked beautiful on Shizuru. She was called out of her reverie by the girl she was admiring.

- "Natsuki?"

- "Uh?"

Shizuru let out a chuckle.

- "It's not polite to stare at a person."

- "Sorry" – replied Natsuki blushing. – "I didn't do it on purpose."

- "Ara, I really don't mind." – said Shizuru with a teasing tone. – "What was Natsuki staring at?"

- "Uhm… at your clothes." – answered Natsuki with embarrassment.

- "Only my clothes?" – said Shizuru in a husky tone.

- "On how I've never seen clothes like those before, but also how they… look so good on you…" – Natsuki mumbled the final part.

Shizuru nonetheless heard it and an imperceptible blush covered her cheeks.

- "Thanks Natsuki, you are very sweet." – said Shizuru offering a smile.

Natsuki only nodded. Then her nose was filled with the delicious scent of the dishes in front of her, and her gaze fell on the food over the table. She made a quick analysis with her sight at all the appetizing food, everything looked delicious; she didn't know what to begin with.

- "Maybe I should ask Shizuru." – thought the angel. Natsuki called her – "Shizuru?"

- "Yes Natsuki?"

- "Which one should I eat first?"

After the question that left Shizuru a bit surprised, she proceeded to tell Natsuki that she could begin with the one she wanted to eat the most, so to help her she told her the names and explained all the dishes she made, also she ate them along with Natsuki to encourage the girl. It worked perfectly since Natsuki felt more confident and ate all the food with a content expression. When they finished their breakfast, Shizuru quickly washed the dishes with Natsuki's help. Once it was done Shizuru went to grab her purse and a sweater while Natsuki grabbed her coat, also Shizuru assured the girl that she wouldn't need her gunblade here, so it was safer keeping it at home. They left the dorm and then the building. Upon giving a step out of the school dorms Natsuki was amazed by the surroundings. There were many buildings but also there was a forest near it. She walked side by side with Shizuru until they stopped in front of a sign. Natsuki looked at Shizuru with a puzzled expression written on her face.

- "Natsuki, we are going to the city so we need to take the bus."

- "Bus? What's a bus?"

- "You'll see."

Just a minute had passed when an engine's sound was heard. Natsuki turned her gaze in the direction of the source only to see a metal box coming closer to stop in front of them. She analyzed it quickly before she felt Shizuru give a tug at her hand to get her attention.

- "Come Natsuki."

- "Ah..."

Still holding Natsuki's hand, Shizuru got inside the bus followed by Natsuki. After paying the fee for the two she took a seat at the back, her angel seating beside her. Natsuki was looking around; this intrigued her. This kind of carriage was very useful since it allowed more people in. Natsuki was seated near the window so she soon focused her attention on the scenery; there were more buildings in comparison to the place where Shizuru's home was at. Also she began to notice the lack of forests and green areas. Sure there were trees along the road but nothing compared to Earl. As they rode in the bus, Shizuru explained many things to Natsuki; every piece of information marveled the raven haired girl. Finally they made it to their stop; they got down out of the bus and began walking along the streets. They went to a museum, then to a mall so Natsuki could see different stores and the items each one held. In one of them Natsuki recognized the 'pen', even if it wasn't like the one Shizuru had sold at the pub in Earl.

Hours passed with them having fun and being happy in the company of the other so Shizuru suggested getting something to eat in the dining area of the mall, which Natsuki agreed to. They passed by all the fast food restaurants so Natsuki could choose what she wanted to taste this time. Once Natsuki made her choice, Shizuru ordered and paid for the food. Soon it was prepared and they picked a table to sit at; Natsuki took a bite of her food and found it delicious, well, not as delicious as the meal cooked by Shizuru that morning but it was good nevertheless.

Shizuru watched Natsuki eat her food vigorously, she wondered if she liked fast food more than her cooking. In that moment, she remembered that before breakfast Natsuki had been whistling a song that had a relaxing and kind of melancholic tone.

- "Natsuki?" – called Shizuru.

The raven-haired girl was chewing her food so she only nodded to let Shizuru know she had her attention.

- "What was the melody you were whistling this morning?"

Natsuki swallowed her food and replied.

- "It's an ancient lullaby from Aries. I like to whistle it while I work; I've been doing it for so long that it seem that I do it unconsciously now."

- "Maybe Natsuki should sing it for me." – teased Shizuru.

- "Ehm... perhaps some other time…" – said Natsuki with a blush, returning to her food.

Shortly they finished their food but the two didn't want to leave yet so they started talking about whatever came to their minds. As they were chatting, Natsuki noticed someone approaching their table from the corner of her eye.

- "Shizuru-senpai!" – said a girl with brown hair carrying a tote bag.

- "Ara, Yukari-san, what a surprise."

- "Likewise Shizuru-senpai." – replied the girl with a smile, then she noticed Natsuki. – "Hi."

- "Ara, such bad manners I have. Yukari-san, this is Natsuki." – said Shizuru gesturing with her hand at the raven-haired girl.

- "Nice to meet you." – said the girl with brown hair.

- "Hello." – replied Natsuki.

- "Sorry for interrupting your date Shizuru-senpai, but I need your help."

Shizuru saw how Natsuki blushed when Yukari said that they were on a date. She let out a giggle and said.

- "Its okay Yukari-san, how can I help you?"

- "Well, you see, I don't know how to solve this problem." – said Yukari taking out a notebook from her bag – "I have the formulas and everything but I didn't get it when the teacher explained it."

Yukari gave Shizuru the notebook, and the ruby-eyed girl began to read the contents. At watching that scene Natsuki had a flashback; she remembered how her sister Alyssa had asked her for help with a problem she couldn't figure out at that time; she gladly had helped her sister, after that Alyssa became more interested in different fields and soon was a bright child for someone of her age. Natsuki smiled bitterly at the memory and cast a short glance at the girl sitting in front of her, she was now with this unbelievable goddess but, what about the people in Earl?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Shizuru called her out, noticing that they were left alone again. Apparently while she was spacing out, Yukari had bid them farewell after Shizuru had explained the solution to the problem. It was already getting late hence Shizuru said.

- "Natsuki, we should hurry if we want to catch the bus back home."

- "Okay."

On their way to the bus stop, Shizuru grabbed Natsuki's hand, earning a blush from the angel. Natsuki turned her head to hide it a little, but also to hide the worried look she had in her eyes. She was very happy that she was able to send - or more like bring - Shizuru back home, and she was now here with her, enjoying a peaceful time without battles, however she couldn't help but to remember the people in her homeland, 'her' people. What was she to do?

Her mind worked endlessly to find an answer only to find none in the end. During the way back Shizuru noticed her odd behavior and upon arriving at the apartment she asked.

- "Natsuki, is something wrong?"

- "No Shizuru, I'm just tired, I've seen too much stuff today."

- "Then we should rest because tomorrow we'll have another exciting date." – teased the chestnut-haired girl.

- "Shi-Shizuru!!"

Changing into some sleep clothes they laid in the bed covering themselves with the sheets, Shizuru placed her head over Natsuki's soft chest giving the excuse that her pillow wasn't comfy enough. Natsuki just mumbled and placed an arm around Shizuru's waist bringing her closer. Soon, Shizuru drifted off to sleep with a pleased smile on her lips. Natsuki on the other hand kept thinking about how she had felt earlier, too much struggling with her mind gave her a headache.

- "Maybe I'm just feeling a bit homesick right now. Yeah, that's it."

With that last thought in mind she closed her eyes and fell in a deep slumber, yet her heart didn't put aside the emotion that stung deep in her soul.

Unknown to her, fate was set in motion once again.

TBC…

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Yeeehaaaa! There you go! I hope you liked it. Don't forget to leave a review, since it makes our day better. Thanks for reading.

See you around.

**Leebot's note**: Most of this chapter was Shezaei's work, so you can blame her for tiring the two of them out too much to have hot, steamy sex right at this point.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Yes, it's true. Your eyes are not deceiving you, I'm back. After a long hiatus I return to you with a new chapter of this story. First of all I apologize for the long wait. I'll just say that due to several reasons I couldn't continue writing, but finally I managed to overcome that and I'm here. I also want to thank all the people that have added me in their favorite author's list or that have added this story to their favorites. Even if I was gone for quite a long time, messages like these continued arriving to my mail and they made me really happy. I was glad to see that you still like my fics and that continued waiting for an update. And now here you have it.

As always thanks to Leebot-sensei for beta-ing this chapter.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** Before you proceed to read the chapter: There's a small remark in one specific part in here; it appears as (1.) When you see it, be sure to play the theme 'Sora (end version)' from the album 'Escaflowne Unreleased Movie Rips'. If you don't have the theme, don't worry, I've uploaded it on mediafire. You can find the link for the download on my profile. If the link or the site doesn't work for you, let me know so I can upload it somewhere else. I really recommend listening to it so you could perceive better what I wanted to convey with the writing and the emotions in that part, if you don't want to then its okay.

Thanks for your support and don't forget to review. At the end of the chapter there is another important and special notice. Now you may continue reading.

**Disclaimer**: Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise.

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**Into the Another World - Chapter 6**

It was an incredible morning, the weather was simply perfect to go out and jog or have a simple walk in the company of the person you loved. However, a couple laying on a bed in a certain school dorm have not noticed it since they were still in the dream world. Shizuru snuggled closer to Natsuki as the angel held her goddess in a possessive embrace. This certainly felt good but for some reason she also was feeling uneasy. She couldn't determine the reason but something was off. She didn't question her love or feelings for Shizuru because that wasn't the reason for the uneasiness; it was more like something to do with herself, something deep inside her that was making her doubt.

She had spent what they called 'weekend' in the company of Shizuru. They'd gone out to many places and she'd gotten to know a lot of machines and objects that amazed her. She never thought the Guiding Star would be such an interesting place full of science and wonders. It had its flaws just like Earl but it was a nice world. But for some reason she'd been having a strange sensation all these past days, as if she was leaving something important aside. Natsuki opened her eyes slowly, as if trying to find an answer by doing it in slow motion.

- "Why am I feeling like this?" – Natsuki sighed – "What can be the reason…?"

Shizuru stirred in her sleep and after suppressing a yawn she opened her eyes. Her gaze falling in the gorgeous features of her guardian angel, who seemed to be deep in thought. Tilting her head up, she placed her lips upon Natsuki's. At feeling the contact Natsuki closed her eyes and reciprocated the kiss with equal tenderness. The minutes went by quickly, so, sadly for them they had to pull apart when the alarm clock went off and announced that they had to get up. Reluctantly, Shizuru got up from bed, straightening her night gown, which happened to be pulled quite a ways upwards revealing her perfect thighs. Natsuki blushed at the sight, earning a giggle from Shizuru. It never ceased to amaze her how Natsuki would fluster at catching a glimpse of her body when she'd already given herself to her beautiful angel the other night.

- "Maybe that just shows how pure and loving she is…" – thought Shizuru with a smile gracing her lips.

She looked at Natsuki to see the girl back deep in thought again.

- "Natsuki, is something wrong?"

- "Eh? Ah…nothing…" – said the girl quickly – "I was just wondering…why we got up at this time Shizuru." – answered the girl so Shizuru wouldn't get worried about her whirling emotions.

- "Ara…that's right, you don't know about it. Well Natsuki, we had to get up early today because I need to go to school."

- "School?"

- "Yes, I assume that Natsuki had to take lessons of various things in Earl to learn what she had to, am I right?" – the girl nodded – "It is the same here in Earth. We have to take lessons to learn about many topics."

- "So you study about every topic even if you're not interested on it?"

- "Yes."

- "That sounds complicated, and also a bit boring."

- "How's the education in Earl?"

The girl thought for a second before answering.

- "In my case I had private lessons, and just like you I study about every topic. However, the rest of the people learn what they want to specialize at since they are little. Usually all the knowledge is inherited from the family."

- "Just like in the Feudal times…"

- "Uh?"

- "Oh, nothing Natsuki, I was talking to myself." – Shizuru looked back at the alarm clock – "Ara…we must hurry so we won't be late."

Shizuru gave Natsuki a chaste kiss on her lips and disappeared to the bathroom. Natsuki sat on the bed waiting for Shizuru to finish with her bath, all the time trying to figure out what was 'that' she felt. Unfortunately she didn't come up with an answer, so she focused on other stuff at the moment. Said stuff being the underwear Shizuru had bought her. The other day when they were out, they'd gone to many places, one of them being a store that had many kinds of underwear or as the people in the Guiding Star called it: 'lingerie'. She'd never seen such articles before; the undergarments worn in Earl were plain and very simple in design. Not even royalty used such articles, as she knew so herself. So when she saw them here, she had been captivated by the beauty of them; the delicate materials, the fine and soft texture, the magnificence of them was simply amazing. In fact she'd seen Shizuru wear one of these pieces the night Shizuru and she professed their love for each other. One might think she didn't notice the article that was covering Shizuru's perfect breasts that night, but truth be told she was intrigued by it since she saw it, however her mind wasn't focused on it at all since her attention had been mainly towards the goddess craving for her to touch.

And now she had a couple of these wonderful pieces. The odyssey to get them was quite embarrassing, since Natsuki didn't know her size Shizuru gladly offered her help; unknown to Natsuki it involved a lot of groping. So, after some agonizing minutes that seemed like hours they got a couple of cute pieces for Natsuki's perfect body.

After buying the pieces they continued with their date along the store and the city. During the walk another girl had approached them and had asked Shizuru about something which Natsuki didn't quite understand but it looked like it was related to something about 'school' at which Shizuru answered the girl and helped her. Before leaving them alone again, the girl had thanked Shizuru and had showed a lot of respect towards her. Natsuki just ignored the action for the moment since she was more intrigued with all the other stuff she was seeing in the guiding star; but now that she was alone with her thoughts again, it bothered her. Not that she was jealous, it was something else; however she couldn't figure it out yet.

Natsuki heard the door of the bathroom opening and saw Shizuru going out in clad only in a towel, and couldn't help but blush at the sight. Shizuru, noticing the reaction she caused in the young girl smiled mischievously. Letting the towel open a bit she began to strip of it to change into her school uniform. Before the towel hit the floor, Natsuki already had run to the bathroom to take a cold bath herself and be on time to leave with Shizuru for 'school'. Shizuru had to suppress a giggle at her angel's behavior; really it was amusing how she could make Natsuki blush so easily.

After some minutes, Natsuki left the bathroom also clad only in a towel, she was nervous that Shizuru might tease her about it, luckily for her she was not in the room but in the kitchenette doing breakfast. Natsuki changed into her now fresh set of clothes and went to the kitchenette to help Shizuru in whatever she could.

The young women had breakfast and prepared to leave for school in no time. Shizuru took her bag and put on her shoes and Natsuki just took her coat as always and her boots, then they walked out of the dorms building to head for school. When they arrived at the gates Natsuki was amazed at how big and elegant it was. It had a garden or more like a forest with a road that led to the main building and then other buildings were around it, they were not as big as the other but nonetheless it was impressive. To her it was like a small town like those in the borders of Aries. Shizuru smiled fondly at her angel and taking her hand she began to lead the way since Natsuki was too impressed to walk on her own.

They walked along the rocky path leading to the main building. It was still early but there were already some students walking around. A small group of students took notice of Shizuru and walked to her. Upon noticing the group of girls approaching Shizuru let go of Natsuki's hand and offered a polite smile to the students, Natsuki noticed that this smile was not real at all but also it wasn't fake or built up. It was more like a 'diplomatic' smile.

- "Kaichou-sama, good morning!" – said one of the girls. – "I was looking for you."

- "Good morning Amano-san. Tell me how can I help you?"

- "Well, I wanted to discuss with you something important regarding the track & field club."

- "Sure, let's discuss it today during the fourth period. I'll make sure to inform your teacher about it."

- "Thank you Kaichou-sama."

After that the girl offered a bow and left with the group of girls. Taking the raven haired girl's hand again in her own Shizuru said.

- "Let's go, I'll show you around until classes start."

Natsuki nodded in agreement and began to walk again being led by Shizuru one more time. Shizuru went first to her class room that was empty by that time. After placing her bag on her desk she smiled at Natsuki and taking her hand she led her out of the classroom and began to show her around. They went to many of the rooms that the school had, some very common for Shizuru but for Natsuki were amazing; some of her favorite rooms had been the music room and the library, where Shizuru discovered there that her angel was quite a bookworm, she had had the feeling that Natsuki was that way when they were back at her room and now that feeling was confirmed. Natsuki also seemed interested in how people in the 'Guiding Star' trained in what they called 'gym'. As Shizuru explained to her, they didn't train nor do these kinds of activities for war or anything but sometimes just for mere fun; which she found nice, she would like to see that in Aries when she had the chance. Now they were at the rooftop of the main building looking in the distance in the direction of the town. The sight was wonderful; both of them felt complete and happy, unconsciously Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's hand and squeezed it softly. Shizuru smiled at such a tiny action. Looking at her wristwatch – which was in her other hand – she saw that they still had some time before classes started. Turning her gaze to Natsuki she said:

- "To where does Natsuki want to go now?"

The raven haired girl thought for a moment before responding.

- "Whenever you wish is fine with me. You've shown me great places already."

Shizuru smiled at Natsuki and then a place came to her mind, she'd almost forgotten about that one! Giving Natsuki a quick kiss on the cheek she said.

- "Then I'll show you a more wonderful place."

Natsuki blushed at the action and nodded in agreement. Both girls walked hand in hand, Shizuru leading the way all the time. They left the main building and began to walk to a small house located at the back of the school; Natsuki noticed it was quite a secluded place and the atmosphere was relaxing and cozy. After some minutes of walking they arrived. They were outside of a traditional Japanese house. Shizuru removed the lock and slid the door open pulling Natsuki inside. Walking down the hall finally they made it to their destination, at which Natsuki's eyes and mouth opened widely in amazement. They were in the stone garden that was in the backyard of the tea-club house.

Natsuki was marveled at such a place, it somehow reminded her some of the holy sanctuaries back on Earl. Those places always made her feel safe and allowed her to forget for a moment all her troubles and worries. Natsuki let go off Shizuru's hand and walked to the center of the garden.

- "This place is wonderful Shizuru! I never thought you'd have something like this in the 'Guiding Star'."

- "Ara, I'm happy that Natsuki likes it." – then she thought about the words the girl said – "Are there places like this in Earl?"

- "Well, yes, they're kind of similar in a way. I like to go to those places. Mother usually went to one that was near Aries."

- "Did Natsuki's mother take her to that place?"

- "Just a couple of times, then I went by myself. It was a long time ago." – said Natsuki with a sad smile.

- "Natsuki…"

Shizuru walked to her raven haired angel and held her in a loving embrace. Natsuki returned the gesture as a content smile adorned her face. It had been a long time since she felt so free and at ease. She wondered how long she would be able to stay like this. Her thoughts were interrupted when the school bell began to ring, announcing the start of classes. Both girls were startled by it, looking at each other in the eyes they began to laugh. Shizuru still giggling a bit said:

- "Ara, we better hurry and go back."

Natsuki simply nodded and followed the brunette out. Shizuru closed the door of the tea ceremony house and began to walk in the direction of her class, Natsuki walking by her side, they were chatting a little of what Natsuki thought about the school so far when Natsuki noticed how a small group approached them and surrounded Shizuru. They asked the chestnut haired girl about Natsuki, at which she responded that she was showing the girl around school as she was a possible transfer student. The group acknowledged Natsuki for a moment, to which the girl simply replied with a nod. Then the group returned their attention to Shizuru and began to ask her about different stuff that Natsuki once again didn't catch; something about permissions to create clubs and how to gain funds to maintain it, among other topics. Natsuki watched how Shizuru was always smiling to the group and answering their questions without trouble. When they were done they bid farewell to Shizuru and Natsuki.

The couple began to walk again towards Shizuru's classroom. Along the way Natsuki could hear how all these people greeted Shizuru happily and called her by the title of 'Kaichou-sama'; not only the young people but also the elder ones, the ones that Shizuru referred to as 'teachers'. Everyone was content to see Shizuru and to receive help from her. While she was thinking about it, her mind traveled back, to memories of years ago from Aries.

********* Flash back ****************

A younger Natsuki was walking hand in hand with a little blonde girl, being followed by a tall woman with piercing red eyes and blue hair. The little blonde girl was laughing freely when a voice of a woman called a name:

- "Natsuki-sama!!"

The raven haired girl turned her attention to the woman and talked to her for a while, when she was done the woman gave her a smile and handed a small bag with candies to the small girl.

The two girls continued walking for a while when another voice called the same name.

- "Natsuki-sama!!"

This happened several times along that day, there was a point where a man asked something important that Natsuki had to attend to immediately. The green eyed girl knelt and told the small girl by her side.

- "Why don't you go play with Miyu? I'll be a bit busy, but I'll go and catch you later, okay?"

The small blonde girl nodded, understanding that the older girl was busy and after giving her a small kiss on the cheek she grabbed the hand of the other woman and left with her not before saying.

- "See you later, onee-chan!"

Natsuki gave her a small smile and then turned to the man that was waiting for her.

These kind of things had been happening for quite some time now; and it didn't happen only that day, but also the next day and the day after that, and so on, up until that fateful day. Every day someone would come up to her with concern but also hope in their eyes, always calling her.

- "Natsuki-sama…"

- "Thanks for your help Natsuki-sama…"

- "It's Natsuki-sama!!..."

- "Good to see you Natsuki-sama…"

************** End of flashback ************

- "Kaichou-sama!"

Natsuki was brought back from her memories when hearing the cheerful tone of a girl next to her calling for Shizuru. She saw the joy in the girl's face after Shizuru greeted her. All the faces of the people in Aries came to her mind; how they looked very similar to the faces of the people here. Her heart ached a bit at the sight, a stinging pain running across her body, remorse and guilt filling her whole being.

- "Natsuki?"

The girl turned her gaze to Shizuru, who was looking at her with concern in those red ruby eyes.

- "You look a bit pale, are you alright?"

Natsuki smiled and said.

- "Ye…yeah, I'm fine. It's just that…"

- "Yes Natsuki?"

- "I would like to look around a bit more. Is that okay?" – Natsuki tensed a little bit, feeling nervous that she might disappoint or worry the other girl; and more even, that she might notice the mess that her head and the emotions were at that moment.

Shizuru let out a small chuckle and said.

- "Ara, so Natsuki wants to skip class? Could it be that she also does that back at home?"

- "I don't!!" – replied Natsuki – "Well, not too much anyway…"

Shizuru suppressed a giggle at the blushing face that Natsuki had. Taking Natsuki's hand in her own, Shizuru said.

- "I understand Natsuki. It will be fine if you go and look around." – Shizuru gave a reassuring squeeze to Natsuki's hand. Natsuki immediately relaxed at the gesture. – "I only have to get you a special pass so no-one will be surprised by you wandering around."

- "Is it really okay? You won't be in trouble because of that?" – asked Natsuki with a doubtful tone.

- "Its fine Natsuki, don't worry too much about it. Come, we have to retrieve it from the student council room."

The raven haired girl simply nodded and allowed the other girl to drag her all the way to their destiny. Shizuru opened the student council room and entered, still holding Natsuki's hand. Once inside, she let go of the other girl and went to her desk. Natsuki watched her for a moment and the scanned the room they were in. It looked plain compared to the other rooms she had gone into with Shizuru earlier that morning. There was just one thing that made it different to the others; there was a tea mug and a tea pot in one of the shelves. Natsuki smiled at the sight of it; without doubt it was Shizuru's. She simply knew it.

Shizuru in the mean time had opened a drawer and taken out a piece of paper that resembled a card. The filled some information and signed it. She got up and looked at Natsuki, who was staring at something in the room. Shizuru followed Natsuki's gaze and smiled at the sight. Her angel was looking at the tea mug. Closing the drawer and standing up from the desk she walked to the raven haired girl and hugging her from behind she said.

- "Is Natsuki that thrilled with that cup?"

Natsuki chuckled a little.

- "What thrills me is how addicted you are to your 'tea'."

- "Does Natsuki dislike it?"

- "Not at all." – said Natsuki. Releasing herself a little from the hug she turned around and looking at Shizuru she continued – "It's a part of you. And I must say quite an interesting one."

- "Ara, Natsuki is so sweet."

Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, Shizuru released Natsuki and then gave her the paper she had filled out before.

- "Take this Natsuki. With this pass you will be able to wander around school freely."

- "Thanks." – said Natsuki taking the paper and then looked at it. Of course she couldn't understand what it had written on it.

Shizuru noticed Natsuki's confused expression and said.

- "If someone comes near asking you about anything just show them this. After they read it, they shouldn't bother you anymore."

- "And what does it say here? So I won't mess up."

- "Basically it says that you are a foreign student looking around campus and that you don't speak or understand our language."

Which in a certain way was true, added Shizuru in her mind.

- "Thanks Shizuru."

- "You're welcome Natsuki." – giving the girl a last kiss Shizuru said. – "I'd better go back to class. Now go and enjoy yourself my precious angel."

- "You too take care." – said Natsuki with her cheeks blushing a little.

Shizuru suppressed a giggle, then sliding the door open she left the room and walked away in the direction of her classroom leaving Natsuki by herself.

After Shizuru was gone, Natsuki smiled a bitter smile. She didn't like nor want to lie to Shizuru, but she knew that if she stayed by her side all day, certainly the brunette being as sharp as she was would note her uneasiness and it would only worry her. Deciding to discover the reason of her discomfort she left the room, it wouldn't be good if someone saw her there even if Shizuru had given her that pass, she didn't want to bother or cause any problems to Shizuru while being in the 'Guiding Star'; so it would be best if she went to a more deserted place and without drawing too much attention.

Natsuki walked as stealthily as possible so not many students would spot her and become curious about her, she had to find a good place to think. That's when she remembered that place that Shizuru had shown her, making up her mind she decided to go to that peaceful place. While sneaking around and out of the building she was able to hear a lot more of chatting regarding Shizuru.

- "Looks like I'm not the only one that loves her." – thought Natsuki.

Finally Natsuki made it to the place she was going to. She didn't have key access like Shizuru but thankfully she was skilled enough to access to it. With some climbing and jumps she went inside and then took a seat. She sat with her legs crossed, her arms and shoulders relaxing, joining her palms she got in a meditation pose. It wasn't until then that she allowed all her thoughts and emotions to completely invade her and assault her. She was ready to confront them and accept them, not mattering what the result were to be in the end.

- "Now then, why is it that I've been feeling all wary this weekend? Especially since we found that girl in that mall, also when we arrived here at school; just when I thought it was gone, this feeling surfaced again. But besides it, I'm happy that I was able to fulfill my promise to her, that I would find a way to return her to her home. "– Certainly Natsuki didn't know how it was possible for both of them to go back to the 'Guiding Star', she hadn't thought much about that subject since they arrived there, but really, it wasn't much of a deal, the way it happened might remain a mystery and the fact was that they were already there and that Shizuru at least was in her own world. That's what mattered to Natsuki the most; that she was able to keep her word and promise to the chestnut haired girl.

- "And I'm here with her, as a proof that all the things that happened in Earl were not a dream, just like she thought when she arrived. I'm happy to be here with her but……why is it that when she's here with her people, my heart aches? Not that I feel jealous, it aches for something else......come Natsuki…think more about it. When everyone calls her Kaichou-sama and she helps them, their faces bright up…uh?"

In that instant everything made sense to Natsuki; snapping her eyes widely open she jerked forward supporting herself with her hands, loosing her meditation pose completely, her breathing was labored and her face showed nothing less than shock.

- "Why didn't I notice it sooner? President…she's their president; the important position she told me she had when we were in Earl the first time we met. That's why everyone is happy with her here, she guides them, everyone trusts in her……just like they do with me back in Earl. So……that's why. When I look at her and what she causes, she reminds me what I do and all my people. " – tears started gather at the emerald eyes – "As much as I love her, there are things that I still have to do, and only me can do back home. The people I swore to protect, to look after……Alyssa……" letting a couple of tears fell she whispered – "…Shizuru…"

Standing up she left the place the same way she got in and went to do what she considered was best.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After Shizuru had left the Student Council Room.

* * *

Shizuru walked back to her class room, going inside she noticed that it was mostly empty, except for one noisy blonde and a girl with glasses by her side.

- "Bubuzuke Onna! At least you arrive!! I've been waiting for you so you can give me those depots!!"

- "It's reports Haruka-chan."

- "Precisely Yukino, thanks for empathizing that for me."

- "It's emphasizing."

- "That's what I said." – Haruka turning completely her gaze to Shizuru said – "So, you have them?"

Shizuru was a bit startled by that, what was Haruka talking about, even more, why wasn't she concerned by her sudden disappearance? After all she'd been out for a while during all the time she was in Earl, and according to her that had been quite some days if not weeks, right? But right now, first things first, what was Haruka referring to.

- "What could you possibly mean Suzushiro-san?"

- "You know exactly what I'm talking about……ah! I see, you are implying that you have done them already and that I'm questioning your work as you always do with me right? Well, then I'm not going to ask anymore about it. I'll see them later."

- "Of course." - said Shizuru.

Haruka turned around so she was facing the girl with glasses and said.

- "Thanks for waiting Yukino, it looks like we'll be done with those reports later. You better go back to your class before bell rings or I'll have to give you redemption."

- "Do you mean detention, Haruka-chan?"

- "You don't have to repeat it Yukino. Well, I'll see you after classes."

- "Okay, Haruka-chan. Have a good day Kaichou-san."

- "You too Kikukawa-san."

When Yukino left the classroom the bell rang announcing the start of classes. In that moment several students came in and filled the classroom being followed by their homeroom teacher. Soon, the lesson started.

Shizuru was very surprised at what the teacher was showing in today's class. If she wasn't mistaken they've already seen this lesson. They saw it on the day when Haruka asked her about her dream and the day when she was transported to Earl. How was it possible? Could it be that contrary to everything that she had thought days in Earl and the Earth went through different? That in reality she was gone for a mere day? No, that wasn't possible, that wouldn't explain why the teacher was giving the same lesson as before……then that just meant, that she had gone back in time, she was in the past. Shizuru couldn't understand how it was possible or why it had happened. She kept thinking about it all the time her classes lasted until the fourth period when she remembered she'd promised Amano-san to check on some requests from the track & field club, when she informed the teacher about it she went to the Student council room and took a seat on her desk. She smiled at the memory she created with Natsuki earlier that morning, when she had given her the pass so she could explore the school grounds as much as she wanted. Some minutes had passed when a knock on the door was heard announcing Amano-san arrival. Soon all the concerns were cleared out and the captain of the club left, that's when Shizuru noticed that it was almost lunch time. She had forgotten to tell Natsuki about it, so they could see each other and have it together. It would be difficult to find her, given the fact that maybe Natsuki was still looking around school and they didn't have a way to contact each other. She thought about the possibility of asking some students if they had seen her but that would draw a lot of attention and even start gossips about a foreign student being in the school. Sadly she'd have to let it pass this time but she promised herself that next time she'd get Natsuki to eat lunch with her. She was still all giddy and spacing out thinking about Natsuki when the door for the student council slid open and a blonde girl came inside.

- "You're happier than usual Shizuru."

Upon hearing the voice Shizuru snapped out of her reverie and simply said.

- "Do you think so Haruka?"

- "Of course, I may not speak correctly but I'm quite perspective about this stuff."

- "Ara…I've heard that speech before." – thought Shizuru. Certainly it had been a deja vú.

- "So, can you tell me the reason of it?"

- "It's about my dream. It came true."

- "Is that so? I'm happy for you. But you must remember Shizuru, that even if it came true, you have to continue fighting to keep it alive."

Shizuru opened her eyes slightly in surprise. After that, the bell rang indicating the end of lunch break. Haruka opened the door but before leaving she said.

- "Whatever you decide I'll be supporting you."

Shizuru was more than astonished by Haruka's words. What was she trying to say?

- "To continue fighting to keep the dream alive…?" – whispered Shizuru.

She didn't know why, but in the moment she said it, the image of Natsuki came to her mind and her heart ached. Shizuru mindlessly walked back to her class to continue taking the rest of her lessons; however she didn't pay any attention to them since her mind had been drifting back to her precious angel. Now that she thought about it more carefully, Natsuki had been acting a little bit different since that morning; she had been spacing out and also being deep in thought. In fact she had sensed something odd when she had met the emerald eyes when they were together. Natsuki was strained about something, but even after thinking about it she couldn't pinpoint what exactly was causing her angel such distress. Thankfully classes ended soon, without Shizuru noticing it, everyone had already left, even Haruka. Her mind was plagued with questions and insecurities, and the only one who could assist her and reassure her that everything was fine wasn't here. She had to look for Natsuki, it didn't matter if this time she drew too much attention, she would apologize to Natsuki for it later. Shizuru took her belongings and began to search for the raven haired girl everywhere. Unfortunately Shizuru didn't have any luck and the few students that had remained had not seen her angel. Shizuru was starting to feel anxious, she had to find Natsuki!

- "Relax Shizuru…maybe she already went back to the dorms." – thought Shizuru.

Without wasting another second the girl began to walk gracefully but with confident and fast steps back to her dorm, with the hopes of finding Natsuki there. When she arrived hastily she opened the door and called out for her precious girl.

- "Natsuki! Are you here?" – unfortunately only silence greeted her – "Please Natsuki, answer me!"

Leaving her bag over on the couch she started to look for the younger girl. She wasn't anywhere to be found inside the dorm. Shizuru was feeling tenser with every second that passed; she was starting to think again that maybe everything had been an illusion, or even worse a hallucination created by her mind at the desperation of meeting the girl in her dreams. Her breathing became heavier and her body started to tremble. Had she lost her mind? Shizuru closed her eyes for a moment to try to regain her composure. When she opened them they laid on an object carefully placed near the bed, leaning on the wall. It was Duran! Natsuki's weapon, it was still here; Natsuki would never leave Duran or hand it over, unless there was a deep reason behind it. She walked to it and carefully took it in her hands. Tracing her slender fingers along the majestic piece of weaponry she thought.

- "There's no way this can be a hallucination nor an illusion. This is real. Oh…Natsuki, where are you? I need you more than ever. To know that you're still here with me."

Just when she was about to place Duran where it had been, Shizuru noticed that some of her books were out of place and that a piece of paper was laying over the table. She walked to it still carrying Duran in her hands. What she saw left her speechless. It was a letter, or definitely it looked like one. However it was written in characters she couldn't comprehend. She stared at the piece of paper for a moment, trying to figure out what it may say. As soon as her eyes made it to the end, the couple of characters ending the letter have caught her attention completely.

- "These characters……" – thought Shizuru – "Could they be…?"

Shizuru closed her eyes for a moment and with one of her hands she traced them over the paper. Without her noticing it the gunblade began to glow lightly and so did the characters in the paper. In that instant her heart started to beat faster as a realization hit her hard. Shizuru opened her eyes widely.

- "Natsuki!! You can't be…!!" - was all she could say.

Not wasting any second she dashed out her dorm holding Duran closely to her. Leaving the dorm building behind she began to run in the direction of the main building of school, ignoring the calling and questioning looks of some people that were around. She had to find Natsuki no matter what, because if her guesses, if what she felt when tracing that letter was correct then Natsuki was……she was about to……

Shizuru was running mindlessly all around school trying to find Natsuki, she had gone to all the places they have visited that morning, but with no luck. Currently she was standing in the rooftop, looking at the sun starting to disappear in the far away horizon, she was beginning to lose all hope when all of a sudden one place came to her mind.

- "How could I forget about that one?!" – said Shizuru in her mind.

Not wasting another second Shizuru ran to that place, her heart racing even faster, and it wasn't from all the physical exercise that she was going through but due to the anxiousness of finding her beloved in the last place where she had a chance on finding her. If she wasn't there, then everything would be lost to her forever. Unconsciously she hugged Duran tighter against her chest.

Finally she was there; the tea ceremony club was in front of her, just a few meters away; even at such distance Shizuru could perceive a slight sound. (1.) As she got closer, with every step she gave she was able to identify the sound as a lullaby, she was able to recognize that anywhere. It was the lullaby that Natsuki had hummed while she was in her dorm. The only difference this time was that it was being sung instead of hummed. The voice singing such a melody was exotic, it sounded almost mystical. Shizuru made it to the front door and hurriedly she took out the master key and opened the door, with fast steps at last she made it to the stone garden in the back of the house. A knot had formed in her throat and tears formed in her eyes at the sight.

There she was; her precious angel. The raven haired girl was seated on one of the rocks, one knee up and bent so she could lay her elbow on it, the other leg falling freely to the side, her eyes closed and her head up looking at the moon that was already out in the clear sky. Natsuki was so immersed in her song that she didn't hear Shizuru coming in; it was only when she heard her name being spoken by the chestnut haired girl that she stopped.

- "Natsuki…"

Said girl opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to the side to look at the girl she loved the most. Her eyes showed a bit of surprise but right away they were filled with guilt. Shizuru approached the raven haired angel and standing in front of her she simply asked.

- "Why? Natsuki…"

Natsuki hung her head in shame and her body began to shake as tears fell from her eyes.

- "Natsuki, please tell me. Why are you here? What does that letter that you left at my dorm mean? I need to hear it from you Natsuki." – pleaded Shizuru her voice breaking, but Natsuki didn't make a noise – "Please answer me!!" – a tear rolled down as she continued – "Is it…that you don't love me anymore…?"

Not able to hear such a question with that hurt tone coming from her beloved, Natsuki said as she tried to control her sobs and keep her voice from trembling.

- "That's not the reason Shizuru. I love you more than my life, more than anything in this world and in Earl but…"

- "Then why were you doing this Natsuki? Why were you planning to leave? To disappear from my life?" – grabbing Duran with both hands she said – "When I saw Duran in the dorm and you letter I understood it yet I couldn't believe it. You were planning to leave Duran with me so I could remember you right?" – Natsuki flinched at the words – "You'd leave an important part of you with me so I wouldn't feel lonely, but why Natsuki? Why would you do that?"

Not able to continue hearing and watching Shizuru in such distraught state Natsuki said.

- "It was the only way I could think of!! It hurt me more than you can imagine but it was something that I needed to do. Simply watching you, with your people; made my heart ache because it made me remember my own people!"

Upon hearing such words, Shizuru was left confused. Noticing it Natsuki continued.

- "The way you help them and how they smile afterwards, coming to you asking for assistance and how you never deny it. They are happy having you with them. It would be…selfish of me if I ever tried to tear you apart from them because I'm the same with the people in Aries." – said Natsuki in a bitter tone – "You are important to them Shizuru, you are the one who guides them. Even if it killed me inside to leave you, it was something that I felt I needed to do; so you would be happy with everyone here."

Natsuki was surprised to feel the chestnut haired girl hugging her; she didn't perceive when she moved. Shizuru was hugging her tightly, clinging on to her as if her life depended on it; which in a certain way was how she felt right now.

- "Silly Natsuki. You don't have to do this. It will kill me if you were gone from my life, now that I've been blessed with a happiness I always longed for."

Detaching from Natsuki just a little so she could face her, Shizuru stared intensely at Natsuki's eyes.

- "But Shizuru…" – Natsuki was silenced by a finger on her lips.

- "Please let me continue Natsuki." – at such request the girl simply nodded and Shizuru went on – "It's true that my role in school is important Natsuki, but you are even more important than that. If I'm gone I'm sure they'll be sad, yes; but they'll find a replacement soon and all the infatuation and admiration for me will disappear quickly. Also as I've told you before, they only admire me for my looks and my name. I have no family and I have no real friends other than Haruka. Compared to your position mine is very small and almost imperceptible outside this school. Now that you've heard me out Natsuki, do still think that I would be happier here in this world without you?"

Natsuki, not able to contain her emotions any longer, leaned forward and embraced Shizuru in a fierce hug. Shizuru simply enjoyed the hug, taking it as an apology from Natsuki, so she hugged Natsuki back and stroked her raven hair.

Minutes passed and after Natsuki let go, Shizuru kissed the angel softly on her lips. Natsuki soon reciprocated the show of affection, their lips moving in sync. Time went by slowly and it wasn't until they needed to breathe again that they got apart. Natsuki smiled whole-heartedly at Shizuru, conveying her emotions and an apology in that smile. Shizuru did the same.

Just then it was something that Shizuru had said before that clicked inside Natsuki. She said that 'her position' was more important than Shizuru's. Then that meant that Shizuru already knew who she was.

- "Shizuru, since when did you know that I…" – trailed off the raven haired girl.

- "That you are the ruler of your country? The King, or should I say: Queen of Aries?" – Natsuki nodded – "I figured as much since Yamada-san helped us, but I just wanted to confirm my suspicions on it; I see it's true."

- "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you. But to tell you the truth I'm still not used to being called Ojou-sama. However by being called that makes me remember the responsibilities I have with the persons that look upon me; especially my sister."

- "Now that I've heard your reasons I understand why you were feeling this way Natsuki. You want to go back to Earl, to Aries; so you can restore your kingdom. Am I correct?"

- "Yes, there's still much to do and much I left behind. But I don't think I can do it alone."

- "Well, that can be solved. I might not be of much help in the beginning since I don't know the customs of Aries but I'm a quick learner."

- "Thank you for everything Shizuru. I was about to make the worst error in my life."

- "There's nothing to thank me for Natsuki. If I had not done this, then I'd have also made the worst mistake; to let my dream end."

It was in that moment that Shizuru realized what Haruka's words meant; to continue fighting to keep her dream alive. Natsuki was her dream and there was no way she would let it end that easily.

After that Shizuru kissed Natsuki again, this time more passionately. Natsuki kissed Shizuru back with equal passion. As both girls closed her eyes, the clouds that were covering the moon moved aside, letting its silver rays fall on the couple standing in the stone garden. Upon being touched by the sparkling rays of silver light, Duran began to glow again with a very light hue of blue. Right away, a pillar of light was formed and covered both girls in unison. It didn't even last a minute before it was gone, along with the girls engulfed by it.

TBC….

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Another chapter done! Thanks so much for your support. It means a lot to me and to leebot-sensei.

Now as I said in the notes above there's another important notice I want to inform you. It's about the 'Shezaie-neko's fanart contest'. Basically it is a contest where you have to draw any scene you want from ANY of MY fanfics. More details will posted in my profile and in my LJ. Of course since it's a contest there are prizes. Don't forget to check the details.

That would be all for now.

Thanks for reading!!

See you around!

Shezaei neko


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hello there everyone! You sure are lucky! It didn't take me that long this time to finish this chapter and to update. As always I thank you for your support and your kind reviews. I truly appreciate it.

I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, some important stuff it's revealed here. Also this chapter was mostly inspired by Escaflowne. If you've seen Escaflowne the series and the movie you will notice that I used some names and terms from it.

And as always I thank leebot-sensei for being my great beta and for helping me with this fic!

By the way, remember to check my profile for the details for the Fanart contest I'm making!

Enjoy the fic! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer**: Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise.

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**Into the Another World - Chapter 7 **

The vast lands of Earl were covered in the morning light; it was true when people said that the landscapes of this territory were as beautiful as the ones near Aries. A certain girl was so lost in her dreams that she was totally oblivious to such wonders. Stirring in her slumber, she finally got to open her eyes, feeling a bit confused and disoriented. Getting into a sitting position she let her head rest on her hand. The first thought that came to her mind was.

- "Where am I?"

The brunette looked up and began to analyze her surroundings. She was sitting in a bed and inside a small room that had a desk and a chair in one of the corners, a bookshelf standing next to it, and some other pieces of furniture decorating the place. It was simple and cozy.

Considering the looks of the room, she imagined she was now back in Earl, but anything could happen in this wonderful yet mysterious world. Getting off of the bed, she walked to the window with slow and graceful steps, that deep within had a bit of insecurity. Opening it slowly she looked outside only to be marveled at the beautiful scenery presented before her eyes. So engrossed and captivated was she in the magnificence of such a view that she didn't hear the door being opened and someone coming inside. It wasn't until she heard a voice right behind her that she was snapped out of her trance.

- "We are in the Daedalus plains. You should be able to see the Chatal Mountains in the distance."

That voice! There could be no mistake; she was able to recognize that husky and deep voice anywhere. She turned her body completely, now facing the owner of that voice, which happened to also be the owner of her heart.

- "Natsuki." – said the brunette in a loving tone.

Shizuru got closer to her angel and wrapped her arms around the frame of her beloved and rested her head on Natsuki's shoulder. Natsuki also encircled the body in front of her with her arms, returning the affectionate gesture and placing her head over the brunette's. Shizuru inhaled Natsuki's scent, as a way to confirm that indeed she was real. So as to confirm that this was real, that she was back with the person she wanted to be, she asked.

- "We are back in Earl, aren't we?"

- "Yes, we are."

Before Natsuki knew it Shizuru had gotten a little bit apart so she could stare at her mesmerizing green orbs. Stepping closer, so their faces were now inches apart, Shizuru finally closed the distance and slowly placed her lips over her angel's. The kiss was so full of emotions and passionate that Natsuki's legs started to buck and she thought she would collapse at such tenderness and passion. She couldn't help but blush at the contact. After some minutes that passed leisurely, they got apart. Shizuru too had a blush adorning her features, it wasn't as deep as Natsuki's but nonetheless, it was a strange sight.

Now, after confirming that her angel was right there with here, and that she was back in her lover's world, she wanted to know more details about it. That's why she asked.

- "Natsuki, how long has it been since we arrived? For how long was I asleep?"

- "It has not been long, less than two blue moons I believe."

- "Why didn't Natsuki wake me up?"

- "I wanted you to rest. You worried me to death when we arrived here."

- "What happened?" – asked Shizuru – "I don't remember much about it."

- "Well, right after we set foot here on Earl you just stared at me while smiling and saying my name, but then all of a sudden you collapsed right in front of me, totally unconscious. I was fast enough to catch you but I was very worried that something may have happened to you." – replied Natsuki with concern evident in her voice.

- "I'm truly sorry for worrying you Natsuki, but as you can see, I'm better now." – said Shizuru cupping Natsuki's cheek with her hand.

- "Fortunately we were allowed to stay here."

- "Which reminds me, where are we right now? What's this place?"

- "You are in the moving fortress of the Abaharaki." – said a voice coming from the door.

Shizuru immediately removed her hand from Natsuki's face and turned her gaze to see the person standing by the door. It was a middle-aged woman; she had green eyes that were a bit darker than Natsuki's, her hair was somewhat orange-ish, tied up behind her head, and her face was adorned with a friendly smile. The woman spoke again to introduce herself this time.

- "I'm Midori and I'm the leader of the Abaharaki. It's a pleasure."

- "My name is Shizuru Fujino. The pleasure is also mine."

The woman named Midori smiled at the brunette, then turning her eyes to Natsuki she said.

- "Maybe you should take her down so she can breathe some fresh air and eat something, your highness. Surely Ers-chan has made something already."

- "Thanks for your help, and I apologize for the trouble." – said Natsuki bowing her head slightly at Midori.

- "It's nothing really." – replied Midori with a dismissing movement of her hand. – "Now then, I'll leave the two of you to check on other matters."

With that said, the woman left the two young girls alone. Shizuru stared at the door for a moment when suddenly something that that woman had said registered in her mind.

- "Natsuki, she called you 'your highness'; does that mean that she's from Aries?"

- "No Shizuru, Midori is not from Aries. She's from the Black Valley, a land far from here."

- "If that's the case, why did she call you that way?"

- "Well, I had to introduce myself that way to them, so they would assist us. It was when we arrived here at Earl some moons ago."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x FLASHBACK x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The moon was even more splendid that night than any other night, maybe it was the influence of the Guiding Star next to it that was making it shine more than ever. Or so thought a woman guiding a caravan through the woods of Earl at that moment. She was so fascinated with such a view that at the moment a pillar of light appeared not to far away in the distance she was startled.

- "What in the Shinso's sake is that?" – thought the woman.

However as soon as it had appeared it was gone. Being the kind of person she was, she couldn't let such a phenomenon pass as if it was nothing. Calling some of her comrades, she made a small research group, and headed towards the place where the pillar of light had faded. After some minutes of walking they made it more into the forest. It was pretty dark, and it was a bit dangerous with all the night creatures lingering around. Just when the leader of the group thought they wouldn't find anything, one of her followers called her.

- "Commander! I see a light of some sort."

- "Where?"

- "That way." – said the girl pointing in the direction of it.

The commander directed her gaze to the place and indeed she saw it, a small flicker of a light.

- "Looks like a torch or something."

- "Could it be that maybe someone else saw that light and is investigating it?" – said a woman with brown hair and blue eyes.

- "If that's the case, we better hurry and take it first." – turning her head to look at her comrades she said – "I'll go ahead with her, the rest of you stay here in case we need backup." – said the leader referring to the brown-haired woman.

- "Roger!"

With that, the two women began to walk with stealthy steps to the source of the light, weapons ready in case a fight were to take place. As they were approaching, they made sure to hide behind some bushes, and were able to see two figures that looked like a couple of girls. One of them was on the ground, leaning against a tree fast asleep; while the other was standing in front of the first girl, her back turned to them. Then out of the blue, a stone passed near the head of the woman with blue eyes, and then another near the one of the woman with orange-ish hair.

- "You better come out from your hiding place. Because I assure you that I won't be missing the next time." – said the girl that was standing.

Both women couldn't believe it, they'd been sure to make no noise and to hide their presence but this girl could spot them right away, certainly she was no common girl. Coming out from their hiding spot, they walked towards the raven haired girl, their hands slightly up showing no threat and surrender.

The raven haired girl turned around to face the intruders. She didn't let her guard down; at least she wouldn't do that until these women introduced themselves.

- "Sorry for startling you." – said the woman with green eyes. – "We are no threat."

- "What are you doing here?" – asked Natsuki.

- "I should be the one asking you that; being in the middle of the woods at night with an unconscious girl no less." – she said looking for a moment at the sleeping figure.

- "That's none of your business. And you are someone to talk; to be out at this time of the night in a place like this; suspicious indeed. Who are you anyway?"

- "Ah! Were are my manners? My name is Midori; and I'm the leader of the Abaharaki."

- "The Abaharaki?" – said Natsuki astonished.

- "By the look in your eyes, it seems that you know us."

- "I'm Youko, and I'm part also of the Abaharaki." – interrupted the woman with brown hair and blue eyes. – "I apologize for our actions, but we were just looking for something that seems to have appeared in this area."

- "Did you see anything? It was a strange pillar of light." – said Midori.

Natsuki kept her face from showing any kind of emotion that may give out any suspicion to these women, since indeed she had seen the light – in fact, she had come out of it along with Shizuru. But she certainly wouldn't be disclosing that information to these women.

- "Sorry, I didn't see anything. I was busy taking care of my companion here."

- "I see, so we shall leave you then." – said Midori.

Natsuki saw that the women were turning around to leave. In that moment she looked back at Shizuru, who was still unconscious, and soon worry and fear filled all her being. What if Shizuru was badly injured? What if her condition was worse than she imagined? What if her life was in danger? That did it. Natsuki realized that she wouldn't be able to assist Shizuru as she would like to; she didn't have any kind of medicine or equipment to attend her injuries if they were bad. She couldn't risk losing Shizuru in a place like this and just for a careless moment of pride. Before the women could take a step, Natsuki spoke.

- "Wait."

This simple plea made the women stop and turn around to face the raven-haired girl.

- "Yes?"

- "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I was just trying to protect this girl."

- "Don't worry about that, no damage done." – replied Midori with a smile.

- "Let me introduce myself. I'm Natsuki Kuga, current Sovereign of the Kingdom of Aries." – said Natsuki taking out her gunblade, stretching it out and showing the hilt to the other women so they could see the mark of Aries carved on it. The Imperial crest of the country, one that only royalty used to identify themselves.

This was enough proof so the women would believe what she was saying. And it worked, since their faces showed astonishment at her words. In an instant both women had bowed their heads in a courteous manner, showing respect towards the girl in front of them.

- "Please forgive our impolite comportment towards you, your highness." – said Youko.

- "Do not concern yourself with that. It was all just a misunderstanding." – said Natsuki – "On the other hand, I have a favor to ask you."

- "What is it?"

- "I kindly request you assistance to assist this girl over here. I'd like you to check on her and tell me if her condition is fine and overall, if her life is not at risk."

- "Surely your Highness Kuga. We'll take her and you to our caravan; we have everything there to fulfill such a request."

- "Thank you." – said Natsuki walking to Shizuru to then kneel beside her and take her into her arms, carrying her bridal style. Turning to see the women she said – "Also, I have another thing to add."

- "Yes your highness?"

- "It is not necessary for you to call me that. Just Natsuki is fine. I'm still not used being called that." – said the girl with her cheeks showing a light hue of pink that was almost imperceptible. Also the tone of her voice exposed the fact that she was a bit embarrassed. – "Besides, you are the Abaharaki. I should be showing the same kind of respect for you."

- "I'm flattered at such words, but really. It's not that important." – replied Midori.

- "I have to disagree with that."

- "Well then, I'm happy to know that her highness thinks so highly of us."

- "What did I tell you about calling me that?" – said Natsuki in an angry tone.

- "Don't mind her Natsuki-san. She's doing it just to tease." – said Youko with a smile.

Natsuki gave the older woman her icy glare, working effectively to shut off her future comments.

So in the middle of the night they walked back to the caravan of the Abaharaki. In there they were given a room and, just as Natsuki requested, Shizuru was checked out; relief filling her as soon as she was told that the girl was fine, the only thing that she needed was a good rest.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- END OF FLASHBACK -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

- "And that's what happened. You were sleeping all the time since then" – said Natsuki.

- "I see. Sorry for giving you so much trouble Natsuki. I know how you dislike using your status to get assistance since you prefer to do things on your own." – apologized Shizuru cupping Natsuki's cheek.

- "Don't worry about it. It was necessary; your safety was my high priority."

- "Also now I see why Midori-san called you that before. I think I must let her know that teasing Natsuki is my sole privilege."

- "I simply ignore her when she calls me that; also she only does that when we are with the group. I asked her not to call me that in front of other people."

- "Nonetheless, I will let her know." – said Shizuru with a mischievous smile.

- "As you wish." – replied Natsuki with a chuckle.

- "By the way Natsuki…" – trailed off Shizuru.

- "Yes?

- "Why is it that the Abaharaki are so important? I'd like to know so I won't embarrass myself when I meet the rest of them."

- "Well, the Abaharaki is a group formed from the survivors of different villages and cities of various nations that were attacked by the Artai Empire. Midori gathered all of them and started a resistance to stand against the Artai army."

- "That's impressive."

- "Yes, and that's not all. It is said that some of the best fighters and soldiers are part of it. Each one of them is highly skilled."

- "Now I see why Natsuki respects them a lot."

- "All I know about them is from what I heard on the battlefield. The war was being held in many places, so while I was fighting in one front, they were in another. That's why it wasn't until now that we met. They did a great service in protecting Earl."

- "Just as you did." – said Shizuru kissing Natsuki briefly on the lips.

- "It was my duty. I have to protect what is important to me."

- "Am I important to Natsuki too?" – asked Shizuru. Her face mere inches apart from Natsuki's.

- "I thought you already knew that."

- "I want Natsuki to tell me." – said Shizuru brushing her lips slightly over Natsuki's.

- "You are not just important Shizuru, you are my life. I'm complete only when I'm with you, you are my everything. You are my dearest angel."

- "Now I want Natsuki to show me." – said Shizuru in a seductive and husky tone.

Not wasting a second and unable to resist such temptation, Natsuki covered Shizuru's lips with her own in a possessive and deep kiss. Her hands immediately going to Shizuru's waist just as Shizuru's hands went to Natsuki's shoulders. Their breathing became more labored as hands started to wander around other places. Shizuru was busy removing Natsuki's trenchcoat, unbuttoning it slowly. When all the buttons were undone, she removed it and began to caress Natsuki's back. Natsuki buried her head in Shizuru's neck at such ministrations, it was as if Shizuru's hands were putting her under some kind of spell; she could feel the heat in her body increase with each second that passed, with every inch that those hands traveled over her body. She was so enthralled in the sensation that she almost missed Shizuru's next words.

- "Natsuki, I love your wings. Please, show them to me." – whispered Shizuru next to Natsuki's ear.

These words made Natsuki snap her eyes open and get a bit apart from Shizuru, so she could look at her in the eye.

- "What…what did you say?"

- "I want to see your wings Natsuki. I love how you look with them." – said Shizuru in a loving tone.

- "I…I'm sorry, but…" – stuttered Natsuki with a blush covering her face.

- "But what Natsuki?"

- "Sorry Shizuru, but I can't show you my wings while we are here, even if there's only the two of us here. Someone may come in and see them."

- "And how can that be a problem? Is it an uncommon sight?"

- "Ehm…well…yeah."

Shizuru was taken aback by such an answer. What was Natsuki saying? Wings were an uncommon sight in Earl? She had seen many strange creatures, devices, and other things in Earl that were very uncommon to her. So when she saw Natsuki for the first time with her pure white wings surely she was impressed, but also after some thinking she came to the conclusion that in this world that had to be something normal. But after hearing what Natsuki said about her wings it made her realize something. Could it be that contrary to what she had thought, not many people in Earl had wings so she would need to hide them like that? To keep them a secret? Shizuru felt the urge to know more about this so she asked the only person who could provide her with the answer.

- "Natsuki, how is it that people with wings in Earl are unusual?"

- "I wouldn't say unusual, it's more like they are non-existent."

- "What?..." – whispered Shizuru completely startled. – "Non-existent…then Natsuki, you…"

Natsuki knew that this might take some time to explain so taking Shizuru's hand she guided her to the bed and sat on it, Shizuru sitting next to her. Natsuki kept her hold on Shizuru's hand, her eyes gazing at the floor, as if trying to find the best way to tell Shizuru the most important thing she would have told her so far: her past.

Shizuru saw how Natsuki's gaze was unsure and also seemed a little bit distant, she squeezed Natsuki's hand and with her other hand she cupped her angel's cheek so Natsuki would look at her. Pouring all her love and feelings into her voice and eyes she said.

- "I'm right here for you Natsuki, you know you can tell me."

After that, she got close and gave Natsuki a quick peck on the lips to encourage her to tell what she was about to let Shizuru know.

Natsuki smiled a sweet yet bitter smile at Shizuru. This would be complicated, but she wanted Shizuru to know more about her, more so since she had dragged her back to this world, although it had been Shizuru's wish too to be with her.

With that thought in mind, Natsuki began to speak.

- "The reason I have to keep my wings a secret is because I made a promise to my mother when I was little. She asked me that in order to protect me and my sister."

- "To protect you?"

- "Yes. As I said previously, people with wings are non-existent in Earl; at least not anymore."

- "And why is that?"

- "You see, it all began several centuries, if not millennia ago. Remember I once told you about Garderobe?"

- "Yes, I remember you mentioned it briefly."

- "Well, Garderobe is an Ancient land that was very proficient in science, especially in creating technology and weaponry. Their knowledge was so great that somehow they evolved, gaining their wings. The inhabitants of Garderobe were mostly women, and they were called Otome."

- "Otome…"

- "Unfortunately, a strange phenomenon occurred in Garderobe that destroyed it completely, and the few Otome that survived scattered all over Earl. Soon their story became a legend and their heritage remained in the darkness and unknown for a long time. However, even being old news, the legends of what occurred in Garderobe were spread all over the world, giving the Otome the title of cursed beings, labeling them as harbingers of a bad omen, or simply calling them demons. That's why any descendant of an Otome that was exposed was killed." – Natsuki paused and saw the shock in Shizuru's face – "Oddly enough, fortune was on my mother's side. She once said that in a dream the Guiding Star advised her to wait for an important man in a specific time and place and that would be her salvation. Mother did what she was told and it happened; she met my father: Goau Kuga, former King of Aries."

- "The king, I mean your father, saved her?" – asked Shizuru.

- "Yes. My father was with one of his more loyal knights, Balgus, when he met my mother, Saeko. My mother was near the shore of a lake on the night of a full moon, singing an ancient lullaby from Garderobe. My father saw her the moment when my mother was stretching out her wings. My father and Balgus immediately identified her as an Otome. Balgus was ready to attack and slay my mother but my father stopped him; he was completely captivated by her beauty. Soon, my mother became Saeko Kuga, Queen of Aries, much to the counselors' dismay, who were always trying to persuade my father that such a marriage would bring trouble and misery to Aries. Of course my father would never hear of it and forbade any kind of bad talk about her, specifically the fact that she was an Otome. He declared it as a royal secret that was to be kept within the kingdom."

- "That was very chivalrous of your father."

- "That was his way; he loved my mother after all." – said Natsuki with a bittersweet smile – "Not many years passed when my mother gave birth to their first child, the first princess of Aries."

- "Was that you?" – asked Shizuru in a tender tone.

- "Yes, that was me. The one and only Natsuki Kuga." – replied Natsuki with a smile, then continued – "More years passed by and my mother had another child, the second princess of Aries, my sister Alyssa. Sadly, my sister didn't have the chance to be with father as much as I had."

- "What happened?"

- "Father got badly ill. Even with all the knowledge mother had, she couldn't do anything to save him. Balgus, my father's most loyal knight and friend had been out of Aries for several years; before my father died he came back to the country and promised him that he would look after his precious family. Not too long after that, father died. My mother was completely devastated but with Balgus's support, along with other members of the council that had come to accept her, she was able to continue the reign of my father and provide Aries with a prosperous era."

- "By that you mean, that thanks to your mother's knowledge and influence of her Garderobe origins, she changed Aries for the better?"

- "That's correct. Some people were against it in the beginning, but they saw that everything mother was providing them with was for their benefit. That's mostly why our clothes are different from the other countries. Well, that wasn't mother's doing at all, but she didn't complain about it." – said Natsuki smiling at the memory of her mother, though her face soon became solemn – "Despite working hard for the kingdom and always showing me and my sister a smiling face, mother missed father greatly. So she too became ill due to that sadness and passed away several years ago."

- "Natsuki…" – whispered Shizuru squeezing Natsuki's hand.

- "After that Balgus took complete care of me and Miyu took care of Alyssa. Balgus taught me all he knew and guided me so I would become the King one day."

- "You speak so highly of Balgus-san."

- "Well, after father died, he became like a second father to me. And after mother's death, he was sure to remind me of my duty and to continue my parents' legacy."

- "Is Balgus-san waiting for you back in Aries?"

- "No, he is not. He died protecting me and everyone during the surprise attack we had on the day of the pre-coronation ritual." – replied Natsuki.

- "Natsuki, I'm sorry, I…"

- "You don't have to apologize for anything Shizuru. It's not your fault."

Silence surrounded them as Shizuru tried to assimilate all of what Natsuki had told her. Surely, her angel had had a rough past, coping with her parents death at a young age, just like Shizuru. Then it was the responsibility of ruling a kingdom falling on her shoulders, a heavy burden for such a young girl.

- "Natsuki."

- "Yes?"

- "You said that you promised your mother to never show you wings. Was it because of what you told me? That Otome are branded as cursed beings?"

- "Well, yes, that's part of it. Father did everything within his hands to protect that secret of Mother's. So, of course mother wanted to protect us that way too. But then I was also foolish at one time when I was little."

- "What did you do, that you'd call yourself that?"

- "I was on one of the roofs at the top of the castle playing around and trying to escape from the maids. One of them was scolding me for running away from my lessons but I was busy with other things. Said things being my wings, which recently I discovered I possessed. I wanted to show them off, that's why I went to the roof and stretched them out. I wanted so badly to fly, so…"

- "You tried to use them?"

- "Yes, that's why I jumped off the roof." – Natsuki chuckled at the memory – "But I failed miserably. I couldn't fly; I simply began to fall directly to the ground. I remember I was screaming and crying. Luckily mother was informed of it and she ran out the castle and stretching out her own wings, she flied to me and caught me in her arms. That was the only time I saw mother with her wings out. She told me that my wings were not strong enough to use them yet; it was at that time when she made me promise her that I wouldn't use them and show them to anyone."

- "I understand now." – said Shizuru in a kind tone – "Sorry Natsuki, for requesting that of you before. It was very selfish of me."

- "It's okay Shizuru. I mean, when we are completely alone I don't mind showing them to you but I don't want the others to know."

- "Does everyone in Aries know it?"

- "If they know they keep it a secret. Not many people saw my incident that time, so I doubt everyone knows about it. And since neither I or Alyssa have shown our wings in public otherwise, I'm not sure. Also I suppose most of the villagers believe that we didn't inherit mother's Otome wings."

- "Then Natsuki, you and your sister are the only Otome left in Earl?"

- "As far as I know, yes. There's only the two of us."

- "I still can't believe that Otome were hunted down just because of what happened to their land; to think of you as demons…" – said Shizuru caressing Natsuki's hand – "when you are guardian angels."

- "It's not a big deal now. I mean, I was raised as a normal human, so I don't feel like I'm of a different race or anything. As long as I have my family and beloved one by my side, I'm fine." – said Natsuki kissing Shizuru's hands.

When Natsuki let go off of Shizuru's hands, Shizuru took the chance and embraced the raven-haired girl, a fierce and warm hug; her head resting on Natsuki's chest, just above her heart. She could hear Natsuki's heart beating fast and loud, a sound that she'd come to love, a melody that captivated her more than any other melody in this or other world. Natsuki was surprised a bit by Shizuru's sudden display.

- "Shizuru…" – whispered Natsuki.

- "Thank you Natsuki."

- "Eh?"

- "Thank you for sharing with me something this important, I'm very grateful. I know how hard it is for you to talk about it, yet you trusted me and shared a part of you with me. I really appreciate it. Thanks Natsuki." – said Shizuru.

- "You are welcome. If we are going to be together, then we must have trust in each other."

Shizuru was taken aback by Natsuki's words. What did she mean by that? Could it be that she was proposing to her indirectly? Shizuru's mind was being plagued with tons of questions; unfortunately Natsuki was oblivious to this fact and simply said.

- "I think it's time to go down and get you something to eat. You just woke up and need to recover your energy and strength. Let's go."

Natsuki got up from the bed, taking Shizuru with her by her hand. Shizuru shook off the questions that had been formed in her mind; she didn't want to jump to conclusions that may be incorrect.

Both girls left the room and headed to the kitchen. There Shizuru saw a blonde girl standing, her back towards them. The girl turned around when she heard someone coming in. Seeing who it was, the girl promptly greeted her.

- "Hello Natsuki-sama."

- "Erstin…" – said Natsuki in a cold tone that startled the girl.

- "Yes?"

- "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, just Natsuki is fine." – replied Natsuki with a sigh escaping her lips.

- "I'm sorry Natsuki-sama…but I feel awkward if I call you only that. After all you are…" – said Erstin, a blush forming in her face.

- "I know, I know. But really, I feel even more awkward than you, but if you can't help it, then I guess there's not much I can do about it." – said Natsuki scratching the back of her head.

- "I'm very sorry."

- "Anyways…Erstin, I was wondering if you have something to eat."

- "Sure, I just finished preparing supper. Why do you ask?"

- "Well, Midori told me we could come so she could eat since she just woke up." – said Natsuki pointing at Shizuru.

Shizuru beamed her charming smile at the blonde girl and said.

- "Sorry for the trouble." – Shizuru bowed her head.

Erstin was completely flabbergasted at the sight of the girl; her beauty was comparable to that of a goddess. Sure she had seen pretty girls, the Abaharaki had quite a number of them, but this girl was something special, she was sure of it. Nevertheless her heart was already owned by someone else. But that didn't stop her from recognizing beauty when she came across it.

- "Ah! It's nothing really!" – replied Erstin completely flustered.

- "Let me introduce myself, I'm Shizuru."

- "I'm Erstin. Pleased to meet you Shizuru-sama."

- "Why are you addressing me in that respectful way?" – asked Shizuru, concerned.

- "Midori informed us that you were Natsuki-sama's 'companion', so I assumed…"

In less than a second Natsuki's face was completely red, and Shizuru's cheeks had a slight hue of pink and red. Glancing to her side, she saw how Natsuki had turned her head to hide her blush. Letting out a soft giggle Shizuru replied.

- "Indeed you could say that in a way I am; still it's not necessary to call me that."

- "But I'm already used to it, and once I do it, it's kind of hard to break the habit." – said Erstin.

- "Then it's fine with me."

- "Now, give me just a minute. I'll give you something to eat. Please, take a seat; you too Natsuki-sama."

Erstin turned around and began to serve Natsuki and Shizuru some food. In that moment footsteps could be heard and were coming closer. Soon, a group of three girls were standing by the door, staring intently at the raven-haired girl and at the brunette.

Natsuki simply acknowledged the group with a nod of her head. Shizuru on the other hand simply smiled her polite smile at them.

- "Oh! The sleeping princess has awakened from her deep slumber." – said a woman with short dark hair and brown eyes. Coming closer to Shizuru she took her hand and kissed it – "It's a delight meeting you and seeing that you are joining us today."

Natsuki's eye twitched in annoyance, this woman was a total flirt, it didn't matter who she was talking to, after all, she had experienced such thing too when they met the Abaharaki. The woman let go off Shizuru's hand and said.

- "I'm Chie Hallard."

- "I'm Shizuru, pleased to meet you."

- "I do hope you mean that, because the feeling would be mutual then."

- "Hallard…" – said Natsuki in a warning tone.

- "My… Natsuki-san, no need to be that jealous; it was an extraordinary moment meeting you too and you know it. Have I not confessed to you right there?"

- "Ara, this is quite a revelation." – said Shizuru. Even if her tone sounded playful, behind it was filled with wrath.

How dare this woman flirt with Natsuki while she was unconscious? The nerve of this woman! to even do it with her being present. More so when she was introduced as Natsuki's companion, well, she was unconscious at that time but still, this woman had no shame at all.

- "Stop it Hallard." – said a girl around their age with red hair and green eyes. Coming closer to Shizuru she said – "Just ignore her. By the way, I'm Nao Zhang."

- "Also known as Juliette." – said Chie.

- "You are the only one who calls me that and only the deities know how you came up with it!" – replied the redhead in an angry tone.

- "You should be honored to receive such a cute pet name from me, Juliette." – said Chie with a grin.

- "Bah! As if I would!"

Both girls continued arguing as the third one that had been there all this time got near Shizuru and in a serious yet kind tone, she said.

- "My name is Nina Wang. Nice to meet you, Shizuru-sama." – said the girl with black hair, very similar to Natsuki's, and mahogany eyes.

- "Ara, I'm starting to feel flattered."

- "Ah! Nina-chan, please take a seat. I'll serve you right away." – said Erstin with a smile.

- "Thanks Ers."

Nina took a seat just as Erstin told her; she sat across Natsuki and Shizuru. In the meantime Chie and Nao were still arguing in the back, only stopping when another woman came into view and said.

- "Chie-san, I'd suggest you to stop using your charms with the girls or I'm afraid Aoi-san will stop talking to you for several 'Miets', again." – said a woman with light brown hair and lavender eyes. – "Also, both of you are not giving a very good impression to our remarkable guests." – said the woman turning her gaze to Natsuki and Shizuru, who was looking curiously at her.

- "But she knows I'm just playing around." – replied Chie.

- "Well, then say that to her." – said the woman pointing behind her.

Chie looked at the direction and saw her beloved, Aoi. Said girl had brown hair and blue eyes; and right now her face was completely red due to anger, her hands were on her hips and she was tapping her foot. Nao only snickered and left Chie alone with Aoi and went to take her place at the table, since she was sure that Chie was in for quite a punishment.

- "Chie Hallard!" – yelled the girl.

- "Aoi! Sweety! Glad to know that you could join us!"

- "Sorry to disappoint you dear Chie but you will not be joining them this time. You will be helping me with the repairs, now."

- "Aoi, please, is this for flirting with them? You know that all I do is only for entertainment, my heart belongs only to you!" – proclaimed Chie passionately.

- "Even if that is true, that won't save you from work." – replied Aoi. – "Now let's go, we have to finish it today or Midori-san will get angry at us."

- "Will I get a reward for it?"

- "Depends…" – said Aoi nonchalantly.

- "Oh, that sounds promising." – said Chie before leaving with Aoi.

After the two girls left, the woman that had appeared along with Aoi took a seat in front of Shizuru and said.

- "Sorry that you had to witness such conduct from them. Hopefully you didn't get a bad impression from us thanks to it."

- "Its fine, but I must say that I found it rather amusing."

- "I'm glad to hear that." – replied the woman – "By the way, I am Ahn Lu. Nice to meet you."

- "Nice to meet you too Lu-san."

- "Please, call me Ahn, Shizuru-san."

- "Alright."

- "So, how are you feeling?"

- "I'm better, thanks for asking. And also thanks for assisting us."

- "I'm not the one who you should thank, but our leader. Also Natsuki-san here is the one who took complete care of you while you were asleep. You're quite lucky to have someone like her that is so devoted to you." – said Ahn with a smile.

- "Ara…" – replied Shizuru with a slight blush adorning her features.

Giving a quick glance to her side, she saw once more another cute blush forming in Natsuki's face. Shizuru simply nodded and continued eating her food. Soon, everyone sitting at the table had been served supper, so Erstin took a seat beside Nina. Everyone was eating, and Shizuru could feel a peaceful and warm atmosphere at that moment. That's when she realized that everyone there must have been together for a while now so they considered themselves a family. Shizuru liked the feeling; it had been a long time since she last felt it. It was thanks to Natsuki that she was able to experience these kinds of emotions again; and was completely sure that she would be experiencing them more frequently with Natsuki by her side.

- "Shizuru, are you okay?" – asked Natsuki with a slight concern in her voice.

Shizuru turned her head to look at Natsuki, seeing her eyes filled with worry.

- "I'm fine, why would you ask?"

- "You haven't touched your food in the past few 'miets', are you not feeling well?"

Shizuru didn't realize that she had stopped eating; this of course would unease her beloved angel that was always looking after her. Smiling tenderly at her she replied.

- "I'm sorry for worrying you Natsuki, it looks like I spaced out while thinking about something." – said Shizuru taking one of Natsuki's hands underneath the table and giving it a reassuring squeeze. – "I'm fine, really."

At the contact Natsuki simply smiled at Shizuru, her smile showing that she was now more tranquil.

- "My…" – said Ahn.

- "What is it Ahn?" – asked Nao, who had heard her.

- "That indeed was a strange sight."

- "Uh?"

- "Nothing Nao…"

Erstin had also seen the small interaction between the girls and had been intrigued by it since they were taken in by the caravan. She could see the love and care in Natsuki's eyes whenever Erstin went into their room to change the water that Natsuki used to freshen up Shizuru when she was unconscious. She wondered if Nina saw her in that way too. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask them but Midori had told them to not bother them and get all nosy in their private matters.

In that moment, said leader came into view along with the doctor's caravan.

- "Ah! What a pleasant surprise to see that almost all of you are here." – said Midori – "Erstin, can I have some too please?"

- "Of course leader!" – said Erstin standing up from her spot and going to serve Midori her ration.

- "Ahn, is Chie helping Aoi with the repairs?"

- "Yes, they are working at this moment on it."

- "Excellent." – said Midori taking a seat beside Shizuru to then greet her – "Hey girl, good to see you joining us today. I hope you are having a good time."

- "Yes, I am." – said Shizuru and then bowing her head slightly she continued – "I thank you for your hospitality and for your kindness."

- "There's nothing to thank me for. That's the reason why we are here! To assist those in need and trouble; plus, I did nothing. The one that really watched over you was her." – said Midori pointing to Youko who was seated by her side.

- "Just as Midori said, it was nothing; there is no need to thank me." – said Youko before Shizuru could say a thing. – "Oh, and I'm Youko Helene."

Erstin had served them their food and took her seat again continuing eating her supper. Midori started eating as Youko and Shizuru chatted for a little about her condition; Youko told Shizuru to inform her of any symptoms she may have so she could check back with her and make sure that everything was fine. Some minutes passed and a comfortable silence was formed, to then be interrupted when Midori asked.

- "So Shizuru…would you mind telling us what kind of 'companion' you are to her highness?"

Natsuki almost choked on her food, and she wasn't the only one; Nao suffered the same, Ahn was just smiling, Erstin was blushing profusely just like Nina, and Youko was just sighing at their leader's antiques. Shizuru just smiled a playful smile and said.

- "Well, is there any other definition of companion that I am not aware of? I'm just as it is; a companion." – answered Shizuru as vague as possible.

- "Clever girl!" – replied Midori cheerfully – "And I thought that it would be easier to get some information from you than from her highness! I think I was mistaken!"

Erstin was speechless, her leader first prohibits them to ask and then she's the first one to do it. Well, it really shouldn't surprise her; that was the leader's way to be. But now thanks to it, she got an idea of what kind of relationship the couple had.

- "Considering Natsuki-sama's reaction, it must be something important." – thought Erstin.

And how right she was, even if everyone didn't voice out their thoughts, they all already had at least a vague idea of Shizuru's role in Natsuki's life. Erstin found it quite romantic, and what she didn't know is that most of the Abaharaki thought the same.

Dinner went through with some casual chit-chat; after all, even if Natsuki was opening up a bit to the group, there were some aspects that she couldn't and most likely wouldn't reveal to them. Fortunately Shizuru thought the same way, so they kept the conversation as polite as possible but tried to enjoy it and get to know more about the group that had assisted in protecting Earl during the war.

Dinner went by, as did the moons Natsuki and Shizuru spent with the Abaharaki, who had insisted on escorting them back to Aries. After all, they'd done that previously with the Queen of Windbloom, who had requested their services, so they were used to it.

What no one knew at that moment was that a hazard from the past was waiting for them, and it would be the most complicated and dangerous challenge they would have to confront, so life-threatening that not even heavens would be able to foretell the end of it.

TBC…

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Hope you liked it!

On a side note, I'll post some fanarts that were done by a dear friend of mine in my profile; be sure to check them so you'll see how Natsuki and Shizuru look like in this fic. Are based on the clothes they wore in chapter 2 and 3. Also I'm already working in the next chapter of this fic and another one you'd been waiting for. Just I beg of you, be patient.

That would be all this time.

Thanks for reading!

See you around!

Shezaei neko


	8. Chapter 8 Part I

**A/N: **As usual I apologize for my tardiness in updating this story. But at least here it is! I'm very happy to know that you like it. The only way I know is thanks to the people who have added it to their favorites and also to the ones that have left a review. I really appreciate it. All the people who like this fic will be pleased to know that this chapter is quite long, so I'll be splitting it up in two chapters. It's one of the longest chapters I've written so far, and not only for this one but all my stories.

As always, thanks to leebot-sensei for betaing this chapter since I know it wasn't easy due to its length.

Remember that this story uses elements of Mai Hime, Mai Otome and also Escaflowne. You will notice that there are many elements from Escaflowne used in this whole chapter.

Also, on another important note; I recommend you to search for the song 'SORA' from the Escaflowne Movie (if you have not done it previously) since I use it in this chapter as well. I have one version in my profile, so I'll post a link for another version. It would be good to listen to it during the part that is marked with a (1.), so you'll have a better picture of that moment and of Natsuki's singing. That would be all.

I hope you like it.

Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**Leebot****: **I hope everyone enjoys seeing more of the new characters here. To me, Midori actually reminds me a lot of her Destiny incarnation, which is quite coincidental as Shezaei has never read that. In any case, enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise. Yes, Sunrise also did Escaflowne. – yay! –

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**Into the Another World - Chapter 8 Part I  
**

The soft breeze was blowing freshly that day, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and there were some clouds in the horizon, making the day more wonderful. Shizuru was enjoying it fully, and with Natsuki by her side it couldn't be more perfect. They were resting seated on the grass near the road. The caravan of the Abaharaki had stopped for a moment to take a rest and to finish some repairs that were still undone. Shizuru had learned many more things about Earl, such as the Abaharaki and, most important of all, Natsuki, and said girl was the one to teach her most of it.

Shizuru had learned some terms she had heard around while being alone with Natsuki on Earl before they went back to Earth; she was curious about them but she always put it aside and soon forgot about them. That was, until now when the members of the Abaharaki used them frequently. She had also heard Natsuki use them too. For example, when she met the members of the caravan, she had heard the word 'Miet'; after asking Natsuki she came to realize that it was a unit of time and that it was equivalent to thirty Earth seconds; or that a 'Costa' was equivalent to almost one Earth meter. Shizuru made sure to keep this information stored in her brain as she might need it in the future, since she would be staying now in Earl after all.

One of the things that surprised her the most was another one of Natsuki's Otome abilities: she had fast healing. In fact she had discovered this by accident. They were in their room laying on the bed at night, ready to go to sleep; Shizuru had borrowed some clothes from Ahn since she didn't have a change of clothes, while Natsuki simply wore her usual tank top. Shizuru was embracing Natsuki, as Natsuki had her hands over Shizuru's waist. They were having a small talk when Shizuru's gaze fell on Natsuki's shoulder and she was surprised to not see any bruise or scar in there. She had forgotten about it when they were on Earth; she was so busy enjoying life with Natsuki that she completely forgot that her angel had been previously injured; but now no mark of it was there, so she asked Natsuki about it. Natsuki told her that it was another ability inherited from her mother; she didn't know all the details but Otome had fast healing abilities, and she had also told Shizuru that when she was a child she never got really sick, compared to other children her age.

At this revelation, Shizuru remembered something Natsuki said when they were at the bottom of the cliff, just after she had been injured. Natsuki told her not to worry about the injury. Those weren't simple words of assurance; they were words that hold a hidden meaning on them. Natsuki knew that the injury would heal in no time. Most likely when they were in Earth, Natsuki's wound had healed already and she didn't notice. Shizuru made sure to keep this information to herself, since she knew that it was related to Natsuki's Otome heritage and said girl didn't want to reveal any of this to the Abaharaki yet.

Shizuru smiled and, closing her eyes, she rested her head on Natsuki's shoulder. Natsuki closed her eyes too and out of the blue she began to sing a song that went something like. (1.)

- "Win dain a lotica, En val tu ri, Si lo ta…Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain, Vi fa-ru les shutai am En riga-lint…Win chent a lotica, En val turi, Si lo ta…Fin dein a loluca, Si katigura neuver, Floreria for chesti, Si entina…"

Shizuru opened her eyes slightly due to the melody; she had heard this tune before. Of course! It had been back on Earth at her dorm when she was with Natsuki and also when she was looking for Natsuki that day when they returned to Earl. It was the same song. She found it absolutely beautiful now that she had heard it better and she thought that the tone and aura of it fit her angel perfectly. She was quite intrigued by it so she asked.

- "Natsuki…"

- "Mmhh?"

- "Could you tell me about this song? I've heard you sing it back in Earth too, so it must be special to you."

- "Well, yes it is. It's a lullaby that my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. She always sang it to me saying that it was special. It always made me feel better whenever I listened to it."

- "And it's also an ancient lullaby from the legendary Garderobe. I'm delighted to know that you know it, not many people had such knowledge of it." – interrupted Midori coming near to them.

Natsuki and Shizuru panicked at what the leader of the Abaharaki had said. Had she discovered Natsuki's secret? Before they could say anything to try to change the subject or avoid any kind of interrogation, Midori spoke first.

- "Well, after all you are the ruler of Aries and are tutored in ancient history, perhaps more than others. Besides, Aries had always had some kind of connection with Garderobe, even before the former Queen ruled." – this piece of information surprised not only Shizuru but also Natsuki, who seemed to be oblivious to that fact, however Midori didn't pay any attention to their surprised faces and continued saying – "I'm happy to know that there's someone else who has a passion in history just as I do! We'll get along very well your highness! I can feel it! Hahaha!" – said Midori slapping Natsuki's back affectionately.

- "Ara, how does Midori-san know about that melody?"

- "I'm a researcher so I'm interested in many things, Garderobe being just one of them." – said Midori proudly. – "My knowledge and intellect is second to none! It has no comparison! Feel free to ask me about anything, girls, and I'll be more than pleased to tell you. Well then, you better come in soon; we'll be departing again in no time."

- "Will do, Midori-san, thanks." – said Shizuru.

Just after Midori left, Natsuki stood up first and, stretching out her hand, she helped Shizuru to stand up from the grass. The couple walked together and stepped into the caravan, heading to their room. Some minutes after, they began to move again. Natsuki was looking outside the window when she said.

- "These repairs are slowing us down."

- "Shall we use the Yafusa then?" – suggested Shizuru.

Some moons after they had joined the Abaharaki, they discovered that they were in possession of the machine they had left in the woods when they were attacked by the Valkyries and sent to the Earth. Coincidentally, the group passed along that way and Nao had found the vehicle, so she decided to take it to the caravan. Natsuki and Shizuru had found it one day when they were down in the stalls helping with some errands. Natsuki had to make sure to prove them that the vehicle was hers since she still had the power gem that empowered the machine; there was no way that any other gem was capable of powering it on. That's why those types of machines were expensive and unique.

Natsuki considered the idea but then said.

- "It's fine. Besides, I see you enjoy being here with them. I've noticed that you like to talk with Ahn."

- "Is Natsuki jealous?"

- "Of-of course not!" – replied the girl blushing.

Shizuru let out a soft giggle and said.

- "Natsuki shouldn't worry about that. My heart, body and soul is only hers. Besides, I only see Ahn-san as an older sister, one that I've always wanted to have. And I do believe that the other girls of the Abaharaki see her the same way."

- "I see…" – replied Natsuki, embarrassed at her behavior.

Shizuru just suppressed a giggle and kissed Natsuki's cheek, assuring the younger girl with that simple show of affection that what she had said was true. Natsuki smiled softly and took Shizuru's hand in her own and gave it a soft squeeze. They stayed in a comfortable silence until Natsuki remembered how Midori had commented on her lullaby before and the other thing she had said, and she began to search in her mind for any trace of information regarding that. Maybe her father or her mother had told her something about Aries being linked to Garderobe prior to her mother's management. Shizuru noted how Natsuki became more serious and tensed.

- "What's the matter Natsuki?"

- "I was just thinking…"

- "I can see that." – answered Shizuru smiling – "But, may I know about what? You tensed up all of a sudden."

- "Sorry." – said Natsuki to then lead Shizuru to seat on the bed while she remained standing – "I was thinking about what Midori said before. That Aries had a connection with Garderobe even before my mother ruled. I'm trying to remember any fact that may confirm those words."

- "I understand. But, why don't you go and ask Midori-san about it?"

- "I can't do that!"

- "Why not?" – asked Shizuru innocently.

- "It wouldn't look good if I ask about past history of my own homeland. I'm the current sovereign after all." – replied Natsuki embarrassed.

Shizuru smiled at her angel, Natsuki could be very proud sometimes, but this time she had a point. She still didn't quite understand how politics worked in Earl, but if someone were to know about her beloved Natsuki asking Midori about Aries, certainly it wouldn't be positive for the kingdom's image and her ruler in the future. Taking Natsuki's hand once more she now led Natsuki to sit by her side on the bed. Locking eyes with her she said.

- "Worry not my Natsuki. We have all afternoon and night to think about that. And I will help you with everything I can."

- "Thanks Shizuru." – said Natsuki with a tender smile.

Then just as Shizuru said, she assisted Natsuki with tracing down that piece of information that she was looking for. She assisted her angel in questioning her from the most basic to the most uncommon she could think. She asked her if besides her parents, maybe Balgus-san, or even her sister and her protector ever mentioned it. They kept thinking and talking for quite a while; Shizuru took this opportunity to get to learn the history of Aries among other important details, she didn't want to appear ignorant in front of other people and embarrass herself and her Natsuki after all. Natsuki was getting frustrated that she couldn't remember anything, not even the slightest point. She let out a annoyed growl and sprawled herself on the bed, her eyes glaring at the ceiling of her room. Shizuru suppressed a chuckle at how adorable Natsuki looked like that. She stretched out her hand and began to caress Natsuki's knee in a caring way, trying to ease some tension from her beloved.

- "Relax Natsuki. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon."

- "I do hope so. If not, I bet Balgus would feel so disappointed, he will think that I didn't pay any attention to him at all during his lessons." – said Natsuki with a sigh while covering her eyes with her forearm.

- "I don't think he would be disappointed of you ever, Natsuki. You are a great and honorable person who protected her world. I do believe he would be very proud of you if he were to see how you are now." – said Shizuru with determination and love.

- "Well, I'm sure he would be proud of seeing me in combat, which was my favorite lesson after all. I'm quite good at it. He would be surprised to see how skillful I am with Duran now…Duran…Duran…" – mumbled Natsuki for a moment then she said – "That's it!"

Natsuki got up from the bed startling Shizuru a bit, she took the brunette by the shoulders and repeated once more.

- "That's it Shizuru!"

- "What is it Natsuki?"

- "The connection Midori mentioned before! I was so blind; it was in front of me this whole time." – she let go of Shizuru and walked to one end of the room, where Duran was located, she took it in her hands and showed it to Shizuru. – "It was Duran."

- "I thought that Duran was a weapon created during your mother's ruling." – said Shizuru unsure, since she remembered that during her first encounter Natsuki said that it was a kind of weapon made only in Aries and by request.

- "Not Duran, the model per se, a gunblade became more popular during my mother's legacy since it fitted with the image of Aries at that time. However Duran itself has been in the royal family for generations." – Natsuki walked holding Duran in her hands and taking a chair she sat in front of Shizuru – "You see, Duran is not a common piece of weaponry; in fact, only the royal family of Aries can use it, and more specifically, the current sovereign. The reason is that the one who's to become the next ruler of Aries has to take a trial in order to be worthy of this gunblade, since you do a blood pact with it once you have succeeded. The reason is that Duran gives it's holder incredible strength and power, also it is done to recognize you as the next sovereign. I was doing the blood pact ritual in the valley since it's a sacred place; once it was done, I would be going back to the Palace to do the rest of the pre-coronation ritual, and that's when we were ambushed." – said Natsuki sadly – "If I had had it sooner then I…"

- "And Natsuki, how is Duran connected to Garderobe?" – asked Shizuru, still unable to see the connection, and also in an attempt to divert Natsuki from any further sad thoughts.

- "Duran was made by The Aswad clan. The Aswad clan was a race that was said to have helped a lot in Garderobe and assisted the Otome as well. It could be said that they were their blacksmiths and even co-inventors; they basically inherited most of the knowledge of Garderobe by doing that. So, there's the connection; the Aswad clan had a direct relationship with Garderobe, the Aswad clan created Duran, then Duran has been in hold of the Royal Family in Aries for several generations now." – explained Natsuki proudly.

- "So that's the reason why Midori said that, and she was right." – said Shizuru, now comprehending everything.

- "I still can't believe I almost forgot about it…" – said Natsuki with a chuckle.

- "But Natsuki didn't, I'm happy to see that you solved the mystery, and more importantly, that you are more relaxed now." – said Shizuru offering a smile.

- "I couldn't have done it without your help either Shizuru." – admitted Natsuki shyly.

Shizuru blushed at Natsuki's words. She didn't think she was of much help at all, but she indeed liked when Natsuki thought highly of her, even when helping in the smallest tasks.

- "It was nothing, Natsuki. I don't really think I was of much help at all."

- "Nonsense!" – said Natsuki – "You continued asking, trying to make me remember. And most important of all, you didn't grow frustrated at me despite not knowing much of this Shizuru." – she then got close to Shizuru and cupped her face with one of her hands. – "Maybe that's why you complement me so well…" – said Natsuki out of the blue.

Shizuru's blush deepened at this confession; she never expected Natsuki to say something like that. She felt her heart beat faster and her pulse quicken. Their gazes locked and they were leaning in for a kiss when a gasp coming from the door interrupted them; they got apart in that moment and turned their heads to see who it may be: Erstin.

- "So-sorry!" – replied Erstin completely embarrassed – "I-I just came to…to let you know th-that supper is ready!" – stuttered Erstin hastily to then run off back to the kitchen.

Shizuru and Natsuki sighed and blushed a little. They had been caught by one of the girls of the Abaharaki – not that their relationship was much of a secret now in the caravan, but they wanted to keep their privacy at some point – well, this time it was their fault for not closing the door completely. Fortunately – or so they thought – it had been Erstin, who had some type of admiration for both of them; if it had been someone else, they might never hear the end of it: gossip, taunting, teasing; definitely they were quite lucky it had been Erstin. Shizuru and Natsuki then laughed and kissed briefly on the lips, and then they went downstairs to the kitchen to have supper.

Just as they thought, Erstin was acting shyly toward them, but after supper they reassured her that everything was fine and that there was not a problem, and Shizuru even wished her luck with her own love life, at which Erstin blushed profusely and simply nodded. The couple went back to their room and this time they closed the door. They chatted more about Aries and the Guiding Star; Shizuru told Natsuki how her grandfather had showed her and instructed her in different traditional arts, but not martial arts; if she had known some of the basics, she wouldn't have been taken hostage by that 'filthy' Tomoe and Miya girl that time. That's why Shizuru took this opportunity to ask Natsuki to teach her to use a sword and protect herself; to which Natsuki replied.

- "I don't really want to do it Shizuru…"

- "But Natsuki doesn't think it would be good for me to protect myself just in case? And if needed assist and protect others?"

- "I will protect you!"

- "I know you will Natsuki, but we both know that there will be moments where we are separated. And I don't want to be a bother to anyone…"

- "You are not a bother Shizuru. I'll ask for a bodyguard for you." – answered Natsuki.

- "Why is Natsuki so reluctant to teach me? Does Natsuki think that I'm not good enough to learn how to use a sword?"

- "I don't think that! On the contrary, I bet you could become very skilled." – answered Natsuki truthfully.

- "Then why Natsuki?"

- "I don't want you to stain your hands with blood Shizuru…" – replied Natsuki looking down. Shizuru never expected this answer – "The moment you grab a sword is not only to protect yourself or your dearest ones, but to kill your opponent. That's what Balgus told me. He knew the very moment that my father died, that I would bear a heavier responsibility than my sister since I not only would become the ruler of Aries, but also I would become the slayer of the enemies of the kingdom. He knew that if a war were to start, I would be the one leading the army and battling in the front. I would have to kill in order to survive and live." – Natsuki paused for a moment, then she continued – "Before I met you I had almost lost it. I had killed so many that I didn't want to battle anymore, but then my friends risked everything for me and made me open my eyes. This was my destiny: the destiny of a King. It's a heavy burden caused mostly because of meaningless battles and a stupid war. But whether a king or a commoner, the burden is the same after you decide to take a sword in your hands. I don't want you to carry the same burden as me, Shizuru." – said Natsuki sincerely.

Shizuru was completely speechless; truth be told, she never thought about what Natsuki had said when she asked her to teach her how to use a sword. For a moment she thought it would be just like it was at school with the kendo team; they were martial artists, but they had not learned the techniques to kill. She now realized once more that Earl was a very different place in many ways. In here to carry a sword was of vital importance and a high responsibility, and it shouldn't be taken lightly, as she had. She felt ashamed about it, for taking such a serious matter like a child's whim. Natsuki noted how Shizuru's mood had changed after she expressed how she felt about Shizuru's request; she didn't want to make Shizuru sad so she said.

- "I'm sorry Shizuru, I…"

But before Natsuki could say anything else Shizuru embraced her.

- "No Natsuki! I'm the one who should be apologizing. It was very egotistical of me to even ask you, Natsuki. I really didn't have in consideration what you've said, and more importantly how you felt about it. You're right Natsuki, you're totally right. I don't want to cause you any more pain, nor have I wanted to be another burden to you, my Natsuki. I'm very sorry." – said Shizuru in a sad tone. Natsuki stroked her chestnut hair – "I like it when Natsuki protects me, but I also want to be able to protect Natsuki, and also it's just that I don't want to cause you more worries."

- "Shizuru…" – whispered Natsuki who just hugged Shizuru tighter.

Then she remembered her mother; she remembered how she never saw her mother hold a sword in her hands. However, she did remember that her mother was a great fighter, maybe not as skilled as the four grand generals or Balgus himself, but she was able to stand and fight proudly. With that thought in mind, she said.

- "I think I've found the solution Shizuru."

Shizuru got a bit apart and saw the smile in Natsuki's lips, along with the care in her eyes. Natsuki then said.

- "I'll teach you some basics with my mother's weapon of choice: a staff. That way we can both be more tranquil, I believe."

- "Thank you Natsuki, you indeed are the most lovable angel." – Shizuru kissed Natsuki's lips – "I promise you I'll be very careful."

- "Good. Then we will ask Midori for one tomorrow."

They got apart and in that moment a knock came from the door.

- "Who is it?" – asked Natsuki.

- "It's me, Nina."

- "Come in."

The younger girl just opened the door and stood by the entrance of the room.

- "Natsuki-san. Midori is requesting your support for tonight's shift. She needs some extra help since some of us are still doing some repairs or checking other matters."

- "No problem Nina, let Midori know I'll cover it tonight."

Nina simply nodded and closed the door again. Shizuru smiled at how her Natsuki was always ready to give a hand when needed; she didn't act as royalty usually would, being presumptuous and rude. That's why Natsuki never ceased to amaze her.

- "Well, I guess I should be getting ready for tonight's shift." – said Natsuki, taking Duran and adjusting it on her waist.

- "Ara, then maybe I should be too."

- "Oh no, no, no. You will not accompany me on tonight's shift, Shizuru." – replied Natsuki, knowing awfully well what Shizuru was thinking.

- "Why not Natsuki? I don't think Midori-san would mind."

- "You are distracting!" – said Natsuki with a blush adorning her face.

- "Distracting? How so?" – asked Shizuru innocently, taking this as her cue to tease Natsuki a bit.

- "Every part of you is distracting: your hair, your skin, your perfume, your lips…" – said Natsuki – "And I have to have my five senses with me tonight."

- "Ara, Natsuki sure has paid attention to my body, perhaps more than I have imagined, so all she thinks about is doing dirty things to me." – teased Shizuru, which of course, as usual made Natsuki's blush deeper. Giggling behind her hand Shizuru then said – "I promise I'll behave, Natsuki, I'll try not to be as distracting so you can focus on your duty, so please?"

Natsuki glanced at Shizuru and then with a sigh she said.

- "Fine, but first…"

And before Shizuru could process what was going on, Natsuki had taken her in her arms and was kissing her passionately. It stopped all thoughts in Shizuru's mind. Natsuki's kiss was so breathtaking that she didn't feel when Natsuki had laid her on the bed, had walked out of the room and had locked her inside their room. After she recovered from her dazzled state, she noticed that indeed Natsuki had left her and locked her in their room no less! For the first time in all the time they'd been together, Natsuki had beaten her in a teasing match. Shizuru laughed and then sighed in happiness, she didn't mind loosing, not after what Natsuki had done. After all, it may have required a lot of resolve from Natsuki to leave her like that. That just showed how serious Natsuki was when doing an assignment.

- "It's because of that and many other things that I love you with all my being, Natsuki." – said Shizuru.

With nothing else to do, she decided to put on her sleep clothes and try to sleep. It would be quite difficult without Natsuki laying by her side, but she also knew that she could sleep tranquilly since Natsuki was watching over her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Shizuru opened her eyes in the middle of the night, maybe just a few hours after Natsuki had left her in their room. Just as she'd thought, it wasn't easy to sleep without her angel. Maybe she could go to the kitchen and prepare herself some tea, she thought, but that was when she remembered that Natsuki had locked the door after she left, so she wondered if the door was still locked. Shizuru got out of the bed and put on her daily clothes; then she went to the door and placed her hand on the door knob and turned it around. She was a bit taken aback when the door opened. Then she thought about the raven-haired girl and smiled.

- "Maybe she felt guilty for locking me up." – thought Shizuru.

And how right she was – just after Natsuki had left, she came back and unlocked the door. Fortunately for her, Shizuru was already asleep so she didn't hear when she did it. Shizuru left her room and wandered around the moving fortress that the leader so fondly called 'Gakutenou'. She at first thought about going to the kitchen just as she had planned but then she decided to go in search of her Natsuki. She was careful enough not to make any sound or act suspicious to avoid any misunderstanding. During her walk she came across Ahn, who was also in charge of tonight's shift. They chatted a little. Even though Shizuru never asked Ahn about the raven-haired girl, Ahn knew perfectly well that the brunette was looking for her majesty, though she said she would be heading back to her dorm. Smiling a knowing smile Ahn said.

- "You should go to the top floor and watch the stars and the moons before you go back to your room. I bet you'll enjoy the scenery and it will help you get to sleep. Have a good night, Shizuru-san."

After that, Ahn left to continue with her patrolling. When Shizuru thought about it, she realized that it had been some time since she'd last seen the stars of Earl. She always liked to see the two moons on starry nights; it served as reinforcement to assure her that she was in Natsuki's world. Shizuru walked upstairs and, opening a door that was on the deck, made it to the top. And much to her amusement, there was Natsuki. She was about to call her when she noted the pose Natsuki was in. She was standing with her eyes closed, her arms stretched out and Duran was being held by the hilt with both hands, just lifted there, not in any particular fighting stance. She was just standing there, completely relaxed. She'd never seen Natsuki do this before, so she wondered if this was one exercise of swordsmanship, and if Natsuki had to continue training in spite of everything. She looked so concentrated that she didn't want to interrupt her. She could ask about it later, so silently, Shizuru closed again the door and headed back to her room. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes, sleep finally claiming her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day when she woke up early in the morning she was greeted by Natsuki, who was already in their room sitting by her feet on the bed.

- "Good morning, Shizuru."

- "Ara, good morning, Natsuki. How was your shift?"

- "It was normal. Nothing extraordinary happened." – said Natsuki with a shrug.

- "Maybe if Natsuki had not locked me in our room, I could have made it better." – said Shizuru in a teasing tone, and she omitted on purpose the fact that she had discovered that Natsuki had unlocked the door later.

- "I'm sorry about that; I had to make sure you wouldn't follow, and that was the only thing I could think of." – said Natsuki, while blushing and rubbing the back of her head.

- "Don't worry Natsuki, I'll let it pass this time, just because you used a great strategy."

Natsuki's blush deepened and she turned her head to the side in an attempt to hide it; trying to change the subject, she said.

- "Shall we go and see Midori to ask her for your weapon?"

- "That can wait. Rather, I'd like for Natsuki to sleep a bit."

- "Don't worry about it, I'm used to it. During the war there were many sleepless nights for me." – said Natsuki matter-of-factly.

- "But you shouldn't get used to it. Now there are better times for Earl, thanks to you, the Abaharaki and everyone else. So, please, get to bed and sleep at least a bit. I'll make sure to wake you up." – said Shizuru patting the bed.

Natsuki smiled at Shizuru and, unable to contradict her love's request, she laid on her side on the bed and closed her eyes. Shizuru watched Natsuki sleep as she caressed her raven locks affectionately. Some hours passed and Erstin knocked on their door to let them know that breakfast was ready. Shizuru thanked Erstin and then proceeded to wake up Natsuki. She hoped that at least these hours of sleep had helped her angel. She woke Natsuki up by kissing her on the lips softly. This made Natsuki smile tenderly at her mystic girl. She was more than happy to have Shizuru by her side in Earl; she wondered what she'd done to earn the love and care of this wonderful girl. She would make sure to protect Shizuru and make her stay in Earl the most pleasant thing ever in her life.

The couple got up from bed and went to have breakfast. Luckily it went without any complications; even Ahn omitted the fact that she had seen Shizuru wandering around Gakutenou at night, for which Shizuru silently thanked her. When they were finished, but before Midori left the room Natsuki said.

- "Midori, can I talk to you for a second?"

- "Of course, your highness, what can I do for you?"

Natsuki just rolled her eyes at the honorific, and simply stated her business.

- "Do you have in the armory a staff that you don't need? I want to teach Shizuru some basic defense."

- "We have a few, yes. You may go with Shizuru-san to the armory and pick the most convenient one for her. After all, you know how important it is to wield the correct weapon; also you may take armor pieces for yourself and her. We have sufficient stock, so don't be concerned about anything and feel free to take what you need."

- "Thanks Midori."

- "It's nothing. Just don't be so strict in her training. She might not be able to stand Balgus' pace." – said Midori with a laugh to then leave to do her own chores.

After the conversation, Natsuki and Shizuru went to the armory and Natsuki assisted Shizuru in picking a staff most suitable for her. It was a very simple staff, but its material is what made Natsuki recommend it to Shizuru – she'd never thought Midori would have such a great piece of weaponry in the armory. Shizuru was amazed by it; she could notice that despite being so light, it was almost unbreakable. Natsuki told her that it was an alloy of adamantine and energist crystals. Those materials were used only in high quality weapons because were not easy to get. She told Shizuru that Duran for the most part was made with drag-energist crystals, which were a variant. After that, they picked out some pieces of armor for Shizuru that covered her chest and back, along with other parts in order to protect the arms. Natsuki insisted on getting her a full set of armor, but Shizuru refused, insisting that it would only slow her down and make her more vulnerable. Plus, being a beginner she doubted she was strong enough to handle its weight. Content with their choices, they headed to the roof to start on the basics of defense.

Natsuki, along with the help of some members of the Abaharaki, taught Shizuru several movements that would be useful during a real confrontation – not that they wanted to be in one, but it was better to be prepared just in case. Besides Natsuki, Ahn was the one to help her the most since her weapon of choice was a double-ended halberd, and the similarities with a staff were many, or so she had said, and unbelievably it seemed that Natsuki agreed with her. This really helped to overcome Shizuru's insecurities about using the weapon improperly.

* * *

Some more moons passed, and there wasn't a single day when they didn't train. It was midday and they were on the roof; Natsuki was showing Shizuru a special exercise. Shizuru was standing holding her staff in front of her with both hands and had her eyes closed. Her breathing was slow paced, trying to reach some point of relaxation and meditation. Natsuki was watching her with her arms crossed over her chest.

- "Remember, Shizuru, if you want to master a weapon you have to dominate it, you have to be one with the weapon. It must become an extension of your body." – she saw how Shizuru was relaxing even more – "There, that's good. You should be able to feel a closer connection with your weapon now. You are improving quite fast, Shizuru."

Shizuru opened her eyes and looked at Natsuki. Since she started to train and, more specifically, doing this special exercise, she had wanted to ask Natsuki about it. She wondered if this was what she saw Natsuki doing several nights ago on the rooftop, so she asked.

- "Does Natsuki do this practice as well?"

- "Of course! One has to continue practicing regardless of battle experience and time. Even my master Balgus once told me that despite being considered one of the top sword masters of Earl he had not reached perfection. So, I practice whenever I have time, and I must say that I'm doing quite well – I've been feeling more connected to Duran recently; maybe finally my training is paying off." –said Natsuki excitedly.

Shizuru smiled at her beloved angel, and they continued training for some more time, to then take a break there on the roof top and contemplate the beautiful scenery; that was until the caravan did a sudden stop and a girl of the Abaharaki yelled:

- "Spotted injured person!"

Natsuki and Shizuru got down to the main deck in order to find out more about the situation.

The person was carried inside the Gakutenou and was currently being attended to by Youko while being questioned by Midori.

- "Who did this to you?"

The man, who was older than them by several years, was panting and in a lot of pain. His injuries were fatal, and they knew it, however they had to do everything that was within their hands to assist him: there was always a small chance to save the wounded. The man took a deep breath in order to speak; his voice was rough.

- "A valkyrie squad attacked the ci…the city…" – he tried to clear his throat to continue speaking but the pain was too great – "Guh…they are still heavily armored…the city is about to be burned down…." – the man took more air in, trying to relay as much information as he could in his lasts breaths. – "please…help them…"

- "Were you able to see the leader of the Squad?" – asked Midori.

- "A wicked girl…teal hair…...scar on her face…" – said the man gasping for more air.

When Natsuki heard the description of the leader, she clenched her teeth and closed her hand over Duran's hilt in a strong grip, her body trembling in anger. Shizuru glanced at Natsuki; she too had identified the girl this man was referring to. Midori also noticed how Natsuki reacted to what the man said.

- "Please…help them…" – begged the man one last time, his breathing labored.

Midori knelt by his side and placed a hand over the man's arm and said.

- "Worry not, leave everything in our hands now."

The man offered a small smile in show of gratitude and, gasping one last time ,he rolled his eyes back, closing them to then rest peacefully and unmoving on the bed. Shizuru closed her eyes and got near her lover to hide her face on Natsuki's shoulder. Natsuki embraced her with one arm while stroking her back, trying to soothe her. It was not the first time that Shizuru had seen someone dying, but still it was shocking.

Youko took a sheet and covered the man's body with it while Midori ordered for the caravan to change its course to the city in question, whose name was Palas. Once her orders were followed, she looked straight at Natsuki and asked.

- "You seem to know the squad leader that is responsible for the attack."

- "Yeah, I've got a pending fight with her, and this time I will settle it!" – said Natsuki, tightening her hold on Duran's hilt.

- "Is there any special thing we had to be cautious about? An attack, some formation?" – asked Midori.

- "Not really, she's quite thoughtless of her subordinates and reckless with her orders. Maybe that's what makes her more dangerous: you never know what she'll do; she bases most of her decisions on what she feels, which most of the time is hatred."

- "She really sounds wicked." – said Midori, grabbing her chin with her hand. – "Since you have a pending matter with her, we'll leave her to you, while we protect and assist the citizens."

- "That was what I was planning to do." – replied Natsuki.

- "I'll go with Natsuki." – replied Shizuru, seriously.

- "It's dangerous, Shizuru, you already know what she's capable of." – said Natsuki, locking her emerald eyes with ruby ones.

- "This time I'm not as defenseless. I'll just make sure that no one interferes with your battle." – said Shizuru with resolve and with a tone that left no space for argument.

Natsuki let out a frustrated sigh and growled what sounded like a 'fine'. Shizuru nodded and went to their room to put on her armor and be ready to go with Natsuki. She was nervous but this was something she had to do. She had to be there for Natsuki, and she knew what this meant for her angel.

In the command room Midori was still with Natsuki.

- "I'll have Ahn back you up." – said Midori.

- "Thanks. That way I won't be as worried for Shizuru's safety."

- "That girl sure is something." – said Midori with a chuckle. – "It's as if the luck and strength of the Guiding Star falls upon her."

Natsuki just glanced at Midori and then left the room, going to the main gate of the caravan, ready to leave once they reached Palas.

* * *

x-x-x-x-x Some hours earlier. x-x-x-x-x

A girl with teal hair was sitting in a pub just below the inn she was staying at, her second in command by her side as usual. The girl was waiting there for their informants to arrive. She was frustrated and still felt unsatisfied with her revenge. She was also about to die of boredom. Since the war had ended and the empire had left them on their own, she had been trying to continue fighting just for mere pleasure, but she didn't want to become just a simple and pitiful thief; she was a general from one of the most potent armies in Earl, the leader of the perfect soldiers of the Artai Empire, the valkyries! Fortunately for her, she was able to gather some soldiers that had been left behind by their leaders, and now she had a fairly large army under her command.

As for the reason as to why she was in that muddy city and hidden in the meantime, she was scheming her next plan. She had sent some of her soldiers to scout the area in hopes of finding something worthy of her attention. She was starting to trace the scar on her cheek in an obsessed way when one of her scouts came in to the pub.

- "Tomoe-sama."

The girl turned her attention to the soldier.

- "Took you some time…"

- "My apologies, Tomoe-sama, I…" – stuttered the soldier.

- "Just give your report already. Found something worthy?"

- "Yes Tomoe-sama. I was confirming the information; the Abaharaki are moving not far from here."

- "The Abaharaki? That sure is something. They'll be able to stand for a good fight." – said the girl, smiling wickedly. – "How far away are they?"

- "Less than half a day now."

- "Perfect! If we begin now, they'll be here in time for the big show." – said Tomoe with delight – "Miya, gather everyone immediately; we will execute my last plan now. I want it to be carried out without delay. Now, go!"

- "Right away, Tomoe-sama."

The soldier and Miya left the pub in a haste to relay their commander's orders as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Tomoe gave her scar one last pinch and went to her room in the inn to get ready herself, all the time laughing madly.

Amazingly, it didn't take too long for the plan to be completely developed as planned, and in no time the city was seized. The inhabitants could not believe that there were still soldiers from the Artai Empire lurking around,much less that they were now attacking their small city.

Tomoe had given specific orders to their soldiers, to take everyone prisoner and kill any that opposed; she didn't want to begin a slaughter, yet. She also ordered her soldiers to set fire to precise places in the city, so that the fires could be seen in the distance. This would draw the attention of the Abaharaki without doubt.

She was currently on the top of the highest building in the city, contemplating in delight the show she had created, and as usual, she was tracing her scar with her finger.

- "Such a wonderful display; hopefully the main attraction won't take long to arrive."

Just as if her dreadful pleads were heard, Miya came running and said.

- "The Abaharaki have reached the entrance of the city."

- "Splendid! Then Miya, relay this last order to everyone."

- "Yes, Tomoe-sama?"

- "To have fun with them and with the citizens. They are free to do as they please."

- "As you wish, Tomoe-sama."

Miya ran off once more to relay the orders of her commander.

- "Well, I better go down to the streets to personally greet my special guests."

With that said, Tomoe went down to wait for the leader of the Abaharaki, who would most likely be the one to confront her.

* * *

The Abaharaki arrived at the main entrance of the city, and Natsuki ran out of the caravan as soon as the gates opened. She didn't wait for the other members of the Abaharaki to gather and go out at the same time. She had just one objective in mind: to find Tomoe and finish her. Midori stepped out just a few seconds later and gave her final orders to the rest of the Abaharaki.

- "Our priority is to save and protect the citizens. We will focus on extinguishing the fires after we've made sure that there are no valkyries around and everyone is safe and sound. Now go!"

- "Roger!"

Shizuru ran off in the same direction that Natsuki had gone, being followed closely by Ahn. Natsuki was running across several alleys and streets, just following her instincts. On her way she came across some soldiers that were coming out of one alley. They were laughing and what was worse, they had fresh blood in dropping from their weapons. They stopped in their tracks upon seeing the raven-haired girl, who was standing in a fighting stance with gunblade in hand. One of the soldiers dared to say.

- "Look, seems like she will give us more fun than 'those' did."

Natsuki glanced at what was behind the soldiers, and she froze. There were some bodies lying on the ground, drenched in blood. Even more chillingly, it seemed that they were quite young. She could barely see that one had long blonde hair – most likely it was a girl. Natsuki's eyes showed pure rage, and her blood was boiling; she felt anger rise in all her being. She had been trained to keep her cool, even in combat, but this was too much even for her. Such callous disregard for human life was too much.

- "You filthy bastards! How dare you do that?"

- "We are just following orders, and it was to have fun." – said one of them nonchalantly.

- "You are insane! You'll pay your crimes now!"

While holding her gunblade, Natsuki pleaded in her mind.

- "Please Duran, give me strength."

After that, Natsuki charged with all her might. The hatred was blurring her senses now, so she swung her sword with a strength that seemed almost inhuman. The soldiers watched, frightened of how she fought. Some soldiers were already lying on the floor dead, and the ones that were still alive turned around and tried to run away for their lives. However Natsuki wouldn't let any of that happen. She ran after them and soon reached them. Sadly for them, their pleas for mercy and forgiveness fell on deaf ears.

When she finished with those soldiers, Natsuki continued on her way across the city, to where she thought Tomoe was hiding or waiting. She encountered more soldiers, and just as before she was blinded by pure fury. Finally, she made it to the city's main square; it looked like the fire had not reached this part of the city yet. She was scanning the area with her eyes when a soldier came to confront her. While she was battling with him, she heard a voice coming from behind her.

- "At last you have come, leader of the Abaharaki; I've been waiting for you. I'm glad you could make it in time for my show; it has been prepared especially for you…" – the teal-haired girl stopped talking when she saw how this person slew her soldier easily, to then turn around and face her. She felt her throat go dry. Her eyes opened in shock. – "Impossible… how can you be?"

- "Believe it or not, it's me, Tomoe." – said Natsuki with a smirk.

Tomoe lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. Her body started to tremble. In that moment, Natsuki could hear what seemed to be a whimper coming from the girl in front of her, though she realized she was mistaken when Tomoe straightened up while laughing out loud in amazement.

- "HAHAHAHA! Wonderful! This is even better than I'd expected! You certainly are more entertaining than the Abaharaki!"

- "What do you mean?"

- "I was planning to be amused by the leader of the Abaharaki, but I'd certainly prefer if it was you."

- "So, you planned all of this to fight with Midori? You attacked a city and prepared to burn it down for mere fun?"

- "What can I say." – answered Tomoe – "Life was being boring after the war, so I decided to take the matter into my own hands."

- "You…you…are a psycho!" – yelled Natsuki in anger.

- "Enough talking." – said Tomoe, taking her sword out.

Tomoe swung her sword, connecting with Natsuki's in a powerful strike. Natsuki was able to dodge and attack Tomoe back. She could sense that Tomoe was just fooling around, trying to enjoy this encounter in her own sick way. They exchanged more blows, from time to time with their swords grazing some parts of their bodies: the arm or the leg, just a small bruise, nothing too serious. It went like that for a while, until Natsuki found an opening in Tomoe's defense. After a blow to this opening, she threw Tomoe to the ground a few steps away.

Natsuki was raising her sword for the final blow when Tomoe raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

After that motion, several soldiers came out from the buildings around them, and at the same time Tomoe stood up and took her sword again.

Natsuki watched them surround her, and that was when she noticed that one of them was holding an old man who was begging for his life. The soldier had his sword pressed to the old man's throat. Before Natsuki could move in order to save the old man, Tomoe said.

- "Now amuse me, your majesty!"

Once she had said that, the soldier nodded his head and cut the old man's throat, ending his life.

- "NOOOOOO! " – screamed Natsuki.

Tomoe just smiled and walked toward Natsuki again. She had done that to taunt the raven-haired girl so she could have a fulfilling battle, and possibly her revenge.

She attacked Natsuki once more, but she was met with such a powerful blow that her sword broke into pieces, injuring both of her arms. She was lying on the ground again, her eyes opened now in alarm. The raven-haired girl now had a frightening aura surrounding her; when Tomoe saw Natsuki turn to her once more she watched the other girl's eyes: they looked like those of a demon. For the first time, Tomoe felt so much horror that she couldn't move. One of the soldiers saw how Natsuki was menacingly approaching their commander, and he launched himself to protect her, only to be pierced by Natsuki's gunblade.

- "Attack her!" – ordered Tomoe in trembling voice as she tried to stand up and get away from the other girl.

The soldiers followed the order immediately and charged towards Natsuki. Regrettably, they were no match for the Aries sovereign, who was now consumed by wrath. Balgus always had told her to keep her cool and maintain control of her emotions during a fight, but she put that aside now. She couldn't control herself, not after witnessing all of this. Her mind went back to that time when Aries went through the surprise attack from Artai's Empire and, more specifically, the attack of this mad girl, to how this depraved girl had probably done the same to her people, to her home. Her pupils dilated and she let out a scream that sounded like the roar of a beast; she only saw red.

Some soldiers attacked her at the same time, but it was futile, Natsuki blocked every attack and counterattacked right away, slaying anything that came across her gundblade, which was glowing a hue of blue now.

She charged towards a soldier who also had his sword shattered into pieces, to then be eliminated himself.

- "This is for Palas' people." – said Natsuki with ire. She ran to another soldier who suffered the same fate as the previous one – "And this is for Balgus."

Natsuki continued to kill soldier after soldier, even when they tried to run away in an attempt to stay alive.

* * *

Shizuru and Ahn had been running for some time now. They didn't encounter as many enemies as Natsuki had, and the ones they confronted were taken down easily. They turned down an alley and reached the city's square. They were stunned to see the quantity of enemies taken down already; it was a pool of blood, and in the middle of it was Natsuki.

Shizuru could see that Natsuki was not acting like her usual self; she was acting more hostile, to the point of showing no compassion. The sight worried her to no end, along with the sight of Natsuki's injuries; she was bleeding profusely but still moved on and continued fighting. Shizuru also noticed that Duran was glowing blue. She saw how Natsuki eliminated soldier after soldier, and she could hear the pleading of these warriors for their lives to be spared, and then to only hear their screams of agony.

Ahn was just as perplexed as Shizuru; she had never expected to see the raven-haired girl like that. She had heard some gossip that Natsuki had extraordinary technique but sometimes she was rather impulsive and aggressive in battle, but not to this extent. She and Shizuru saw that Natsuki was approaching Tomoe with a murderous glint in her eyes. She had finished with all the soldiers by now, and the only one left was the teal haired girl, who was unable to move due to the shock and tremendous terror she felt after witnessing Natsuki eliminate her followers one by one. She couldn't stop the trembling of her body. Natsuki was several steps away from her but Tomoe could still see her figure clearly; Natsuki turned her body so now she was standing with her front directed towards Tomoe, the grip on her gunblade becoming stronger. Tomoe was able to notice that slight motion, and with despair and fear she managed to let out a dreadful scream.

- "NOOOOO! STAY AWAY!"

Staring at the wavering figure on the ground, Natsuki said.

- "And this is for the people of Aries."

Shizuru was able to hear Natsuki despite the distance. She was planning on killing Tomoe now, but regardless of the fact that Tomoe was completely guilty of her sins, Shizuru knew that Natsuki shouldn't kill her when Natsuki was in this state. She was being consumed by rage and the feel of revenge; Shizuru wanted Natsuki to end this battle fair and square, not by acting in the same way that her sworn enemy acted. Otherwise, she would end up feeling ashamed, not for Tomoe but of her own behavior. Not wanting to see Natsuki in those circumstances, Shizuru didn't think twice and said to Ahn, who was by her side.

- "Please Ahn-san, help me stop Natsuki. This shouldn't end this way."

- "But Shizuru-san…"

- "Please!" – begged Shizuru, who didn't tear her gaze from Natsuki any moment.

Ahn simply nodded and tried to figure out why Shizuru might request such a thing, but she wasn't able to think much about it since Shizuru had started to run towards Natsuki the moment she saw the Aries sovereign starting to run in Tomoe's direction while screaming.

- "I'LL KILL YOU NOW!"

Natsuki had her gunblade up in the air as she ran to Tomoe, but before she could reach her, two strong grips, one on her shoulders and one on her waist, halted her right on the spot. Natsuki struggled to get free from the hold.

Tomoe watched the scene, still petrified, until she heard a familiar voice not far from her.

- "Tomoe-sama!" – yelled her most loyal subordinate, Miya.

Miya was running to her with a worried look, once she had reached her commander she said.

- "Let's get out of here, Tomoe-sama! The Abaharaki have taken control of the city now. Our troops are either captives or dead; we have to go now!"

Tomoe nodded absentmindedly. She had not heard a word of what Miya had said; she was just feeling relieved that she had been taken away from that hell. Miya assisted Tomoe in getting up, and the two ran away in a carriage that Miya had prepared before reaching Tomoe.

In the meantime, Natsuki was still struggling to free herself from the strong grip that was holding her back.

- "The battle is over, Natsuki-san. Please stop!" – said Ahn.

- "Let me go! Let me go!" – yelled Natsuki.

- "NO, Natsuki! I can't do that! This shouldn't end this way! Please understand!" – replied Shizuru, who was holding Natsuki by the waist – "Also, you are heavily injured. We have to treat you at once!"

During her struggling, Natsuki was able to notice from the corner of her eye that Tomoe was fleeing away with the assistance from one of her minions. She gritted her teeth and said.

- "It's not over yet! I can still fight!"

Ahn and Shizuru noticed how Natsuki had stopped struggling, and now her body had become a little bit more relaxed. Natsuki's fury had begun to fade away, so Ahn and Shizuru decided to let go of the girl. Natsuki lowered Duran, and Shizuru noted that the blue glowing had vanished the moment Natsuki calmed down. However, even with Natsuki's rage gone, she was still acting strange, as if she was in a trance. She let Duran fall to the floor but gave one step forward and murmured.

- "Not yet…"

In that moment Midori, along with some other members of the Abaharaki arrived. They all saw how Natsuki took another step while mumbling.

- "I can continue fighting…" – Natsuki took another step and said – "Not over yet…"

She suddenly stopped and leaned forward. That was when Shizuru noticed how from Natsuki's back was forming something like a white lump, she suddenly realized that Natsuki was unconsciously summoning her wings.

- "STOP, NATSUKI!" – yelled Shizuru.

But it was too late; Natsuki straightened again while letting out a scream as her beautiful pair of wings formed on her back. Everyone stared at her, astonished; they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Natsuki stumbled backwards, and as she was falling, her wings melted away before she hit the ground, completely unconscious.

- "NATSUKI!"

TBC…...

* * *

I hope you liked this first part.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Leebot-sensei and I do really appreciate it.

See you around!

Shezaei neko


	9. Chapter 8 Part II

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait for this second part of the chapter; I was working in another project so this had to wait for a moment. But I hope you like it nonetheless. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. And also as I said in the previous chapter, you'll notice that I used a lot of Escaflowne elements on it.

Thanks to those who had read the story, to who left a review, and also to those who read the fic and added it to their favorites. Thanks! I really appreciate it!

As usual many thanks to leebot-sensei for betaing and collaboration with this story.

Don't forget to review!

Enjoy the fic!

**Leebot:** For those of you not obsessive enough to know every little detail about the characters, Shizuru actually has type AB blood. This was a lucky coincidence for plotting out this part, but I won't say more. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise. Yes, Escaflowne is also Sunrise's. -grins-

* * *

**Into the Another World –**** Chapter 8 Part II**

Everyone stared at her, astonished; they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Natsuki stumbled backwards, and as she was falling, her wings melted away before she hit the ground, completely unconscious. Shizuru's worried scream could be heard saying her lover's name all around the place.

- "NATSUKI!" – said Shizuru, running to her angel, worried for her condition.

- "She has wings…" – muttered Nao.

Midori whispered, still bemused.

- "She's… she's an Otome…"

Shizuru had placed Natsuki's head on her lap and was calling for her while caressing her face.

- "Please resist, Natsuki."

- "Ahn, take her majesty back to the Gakutenou and have Youko check on her." – said Midori, approaching to Ahn. – "I'll go too as soon as I finish here. Nao, Nina, Ers, go with them to guard them."

- "Roger!"

- "Alright, Midori." – replied Ahn, who immediately went to Shizuru's side and told her she would be the one to carry Natsuki back to the caravan.

Shizuru nodded and let Ahn lift the unconscious body of her beloved. The group ran as fast as their feet allowed them to, and in no time they made it back to the caravan. Upon entering, Ers went to look for Youko, while Ahn took Natsuki to the infirmary. Youko arrived just after and had Natsuki placed on a stretcher. She couldn't suppress the surprised gasp that left her lips when she saw Natsuki's condition, so she started to treat her right away.

In the meantime, Midori was still standing in the city's main square, her eyes contemplating Natsuki's results. Now she understood how the girl had such an amazing ability: she was an Otome. One of the legendary cursed beings that had lived in Garderobe. She had always wanted to meet one, and to think that she had one just in front of her all this time. She would question her majesty endlessly later about all she knew; she chuckled at herself – even at times like this, her passion for history bloomed. She let out a sigh, when a glint on the floor drew her attention. She approached the object and recognized it as Natsuki's gunblade. She knelt and picked it up, examining the weapon closely. She could see that it was heavily damaged; it had many scratches and dents on it. It almost seemed as if it was about to break.

Midori stood up and took the weapon with her; she had to return it to its owner. Midori started to walk back to the caravan, but not before checking on the people of the city and ordering the other members to scout the area and assist the citizens. She did some chores herself in order to assure the people that they would be safe now. Once she felt that everything was in order, she went inside the caravan and headed to the infirmary after she had gone to Natsuki's and Shizuru's room and placed Duran on the bed. She entered the infirmary and saw that Youko and some of the girls were there, waiting to know about Natsuki's condition. Some hours had passed already since Natsuki was taken in there. She saw that Ahn was trying to comfort Shizuru, since the ruby eyed girl was extremely worried and at the verge of tears, but keeping her distance from Natsuki so Youko could change her bloody bandages. The raven-haired girl had regained some consciousness and Midori observed how she was gritting her teeth in pain and was heavily panting.

Midori approached Shizuru and placed a hand on her shoulder.

- "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's a strong girl."

Shizuru could only nod and offer a lame attempt of a smile.

- "Not to mention that she's an Otome." – said Nao, who had her arms crossed over her chest.

- "I still can't believe it. I thought they didn't exist anymore." – said Erstin.

- "What did you say?" – asked Youko, perplexed.

- "Her majesty here is an Otome." – said Midori.

- "What?" – said Youko, unable to believe it, but for different reasons.

Youko walked back to Natsuki and checked on her, only to frown when she saw her injuries again and analyzed them closely.

- "Something wrong, Youko?" – asked Midori with interest.

- "This is odd."

- "What do you mean?" – asked Shizuru, concerned.

- "If she's an Otome, then her injuries should have started to heal hours ago, but that's not the case." – explained Youko – "Her injuries are not healing, and her pulse is erratic. And that's not all: they don't look normal. In fact, when I cleaned her the first time, she didn't have deep bruises or cuts that could cause this much bleeding."

- "What you are trying to say is that, although she is an Otome, she isn't recovering as she should?" – asked Shizuru, surprised at Youko's revelation.

- "Basically, yes. This way, there's not much we can do…" – replied Youko solemnly.

- "Impossible…" – mumbled Nao.

Shizuru gasped and finally let some tears fall from her eyes. She just couldn't believe this! Natsuki was on the edge of dying, and there was nothing they could do? Nothing she could do? She felt so useless at that moment. If only she had arrived sooner, she could have assisted Natsuki and stopped her in time. Midori had been confident that Natsuki would recover easily after discovering her secret, but certainly this outcome put them in quite a pinch. She sighed and looked at Natsuki laying on the bed, just barely able to bear the pain. Then, out of the blue and without thinking, Midori said.

- "It's really a coincidence that her gunblade ended up the same way as she did."

Shizuru who had her head down tilted it immediately when she heard what Midori said.

- "Duran ended up the same way?"

- "Yes, I picked her weapon from where the fight took place. It was in a very bad condition; her majesty sure overused it this time."

- "Duran's in the same condition…" – whispered Shizuru. She then stood up and asked Midori. – "Where is Duran now?"

- "On the bed in your room. Why?"

Shizuru didn't answer Midori's question and rushed out to her and Natsuki's room, followed by Ahn. There, on the bed was Duran, and just as Midori had said, it was in a terrible state. As she was watching Duran, a memory came to her mind, of the night when Natsuki was on the rooftop training with Duran. She remembered Natsuki's words, how she always did that special exercise to connect more with her weapon and how she'd felt a stronger and deeper connection with it these past days. Shizuru's mind worked very fast, connecting all the details and information together to find the way to help her Natsuki, and when she found it, she opened her eyes widely at the implications of her conjecture.

- "Shizuru-san…" – Ahn walked into her room and asked – "What is it?"

- "Natsuki's wounds won't heal…"

- "Don't give up hope yet, she's a strong girl…" – said Ahn, only to be interrupted by Shizuru.

- "No! They won't heal." – said Shizuru once more, turning around to see Ahn – "Unless we repair Duran."

- "What are you saying, Shizuru-san?"

- "Duran and Natsuki are connected, or more like merged. If we don't repair Duran soon, Natsuki…she… she will die."

- "How do you know that?"

- "Natsuki has told me and explained to me a lot of things about herself and her past; I just put everything together."

- "Let's go to the infirmary and inform Midori about it." – said Ahn to Shizuru – "And let's also take the gunblade with us."

Shizuru nodded and lifted Duran from the bed and held it close to herself protectively. Once they were back in the infirmary, Shizuru proceeded to explain the situation. Midori nodded, comprehending the circumstances.

- "I was correct. The moment I saw Duran, I knew it was a piece created by the Aswad Clan, but I didn't want Natsuki to think of me as a further nuisance by asking her about the weapon." – said Midori with a bit of nervousness. – "The master of some of their pieces is chosen by blood pact, and remains its master until death." – explained Midori – "So when the weapon is damaged, the master is condemned to fall."

Shizuru wondered if Natsuki, or even the previous members of the royal family were aware of this fact, but she doubted it. Had they known, they would have informed the following successors to the throne to take care and be careful with it.

- "So, we only need to repair the weapon right? It should be easy." – said Nao.

- "Sad to say, but it's not." – replied Midori.

- "Why is that?" – asked Nina.

- "Duran is not a common weapon. It was made by The Aswad clan, the blacksmiths of Garderobe, and their processes and methods are unknown to us. The only ones who can repair Duran are the Aswad clan themselves."

- "Then we have to find them. With all your knowledge, you should know where to find them, right?" – said Nao.

- "I'm sorry but I don't know where to find them." – said Midori.

- "Then it's a lost cause?" – asked Erstin.

Shizuru was starting to lose all hope, when Midori spoke again.

- "I only said that I don't know where to find them, not that I don't know how to call them."

Midori stood up from where she was sitting and walked to Shizuru, who was still carrying Duran. Midori examined Duran closer this time to find what she was looking for, and smiled when she spotted it. Near the gunblade's trigger, there was what would be the lock if it where a common firearm, but this was different. It was a little bit bigger, and when Midori spun it to unlock it, it looked like a clock mechanism; Midori rotated it to the very end to then let it go. Then, all of a sudden, Duran started to glow again, but this time the hue was white and not blue, as usual.

- "What did you do?" – asked Shizuru.

- "I'm just calling the creators of Duran – I'm calling The Aswad clan." – said Midori, smiling.

At that very moment, they heard a sound outside that seemed as if a thunder storm was forming. They went out of the Gakutenou and saw that, in the sky a pillar of light appeared for just a moment. Then, in that same place, a portal opened, and a colossal craft was coming out from it.

- "It's gigantic…" – said Erstin.

- "The Aswad clan always had big ideas." – replied Midori with a smirk.

Once the craft landed on a clear area outside the city near where the caravan was, the Abaharaki didn't waste a second and took Natsuki, along with Duran, to the Aswad's majestic craft. Ahn and Chie were the ones carrying Natsuki on a stretcher. Shizuru walked beside them the whole time, along with Youko, ready to assist Natsuki. Midori was leading the way, followed by Nao, Nina, Erstin and Aoi.

They made it to the entrance where someone was waiting for them. Its body was completely covered with some sort of armor, but it reminded Shizuru of a robot, so she realized that most likely it was a cyborg. They walked through a long corridor for some minutes, when they finally reached what seemed to be a factory. It was noisy and had a lot of different machines and artifacts that even Shizuru had not seen in Earth. The cyborg that was leading them approached another that was currently working on something else. When they were done talking, the other cyborg, who was tall and looked pretty strong came near to the group. He spoke to them with a deep, metallic tone.

- "I'm Rad. Can I see the gunblade you called us about?"

- "Sure, here it is." – said Midori, handing the weapon to the cyborg.

After analyzing it for a moment, the cyborg Rad turned around and made a noise that sounded like a whistle. All the work in the place stopped, and the other cyborgs that were there came close and began to chant in a strange language. The group could only understand what they said at the end, since it seemed they were hailing Duran and Aries.

- "Is this normal?" – asked Shizuru.

- "They were only confirming that it was indeed one of their creations."

As soon as the roar ended, Rad turned to them again and extended out his hand.

- "Seventeen million gidorus…"

- "Se-seventeen million?" – said Midori with surprise, unable to believe the sum.

- "How much do we have?" – asked Aoi.

- "Not even one…" – replied Chie.

- "It will take us several moon years to get that number." – said Nina.

- "We, we can't pay that amount…" – said Shizuru.

- "If you can't pay, then we leave." – replied Rad, who then turned around.

- "Please wait. There must be something that we may have that covers that amount."

Rad stared at all of them and then said.

- "We can give it a try." – replied Rad to then say – "Gal! Do a quick analysis to check on 'that'. Let me know if someone has it."

- "Right away!"

Gal was a small cyborg that had what seemed to be a halo over its head. With a single motion, the halo began to rotate and to emit a light. Gal approached the girls one by one, scanning them – for what, they didn't know. All the girls had been scanned so far except Shizuru. Gal was about to start scanning her, when Rad asked.

- "Anything?"

- "Nothing at all, the others don't have it. The only one left is this girl." – then Gal proceeded to scan Shizuru.

While Gal was scanning her, she dared to ask, concerned as to what The Aswad were interested in that they were scanning all of them.

- "What are you looking for?"

- "Blood." – replied Rad with his arms crossed

Just after Shizuru had her question answered, a continuous beeping could be heard, and then Gal said gladly.

- "She has it!"

Rad stared directly at Shizuru and said.

- "Your blood."

- "What?" – whispered Youko.

- "You want my blood?" – asked Shizuru, still unsure she had heard correctly.

- "Yes."

- "Wait a second! Why just hers?" – asked Nao with a bit of irritation.

- "Her blood is rare, so that makes it more special." – replied Gal.

- "And why would you need blood?" – asked Ahn.

- "You see, our bodies... let's say that they require special maintenance, and we need blood like hers in order to accomplish it." – answered Gal. – "There are different types of blood, and only hers is valuable to us since it's compatible."

- "If you give us your blood, we will repair the gunblade." – stated Rad.

- "How much do you need?" – asked Youko.

- "One litoru will be enough."

- "That's very dangerous! Her life could be at risk by providing you that quantity." – replied Youko.

Shizuru understood the quantity the cyborg Rad was talking about – luckily it was one of the terms she had learned from Natsuki and the Abaharaki, so she knew that a litoru was equivalent to one and a half liters. She knew it would indeed be hazardous to provide that amount, but if that would save her Natsuki's life, she would take that risk. She looked at Natsuki for a moment, who was laying on the stretcher, almost lifeless. She was still breathing, but Shizuru could see that she was feeling too much pain. Turning her head to see Rad, she said with determination.

- "You can take my blood."

- "But, Shizuru-san…!" – said Youko anxiously.

- "We have a deal." – said Rad. – "Gal, prepare everything."

- "Sure!"

With that, the small cyborg left the place to deliver Rad's instructions, and Rad had left to prepare what they would need to repair the gunblade. When they were left alone, Youko spoke.

- "Shizuru-san, are you sure about this? If something goes wrong, this could have mortal consequences."

- "I understand, but it's the only way to save Natsuki." – then she thought – "Natsuki has put her life on the line many times for me, for my sake, to protect me. It's time for me to do the same for her_."_

- "But if something happens to you, her majesty will be devastated." – said Erstin.

- "I won't die. I cannot die. Not when I've been fighting to keep my dream alive. Not when I've found happiness by Natsuki's side. Not when I'm so much in love with Natsuki_."_ – thought Shizuru with resolve.

At that moment, Gal appeared with all the equipment necessary to extract Shizuru's blood, and another cyborg came to take Duran to the repair area. As the strange machine was being connected to Shizuru's arm, they started to work on Duran. The second the tools began to fall on Duran's blade, Natsuki let out a painful scream and thrashed violently from side to side; the pain was excruciating. Midori was trying to hold her down, but it was ineffective. She even dared to command to the girls.

- "Bring some ropes! Quickly!"

- "But…" – said Aoi, unsure.

- "We must tie her down while Duran is being repaired, or she may hurt herself if she continues trashing like this." – said Midori.

- "Okay!" – said Aoi, who ran out to get the ropes.

- "Nina! Nao! Help me keep her still!" – ordered Midori.

- "Roger!"

- "Is she dying?" – asked Erstin, totally shaken at seeing her majesty like that.

- "She will be fine as soon as Duran is restored." – said Chie, placing a hand on Erstin's shoulder.

Shizuru was also contemplating the commotion in silence, seated on bed near the blood-extracting machine; her eyes, however, showed deep worry at Natsuki's suffering. Ahn and Youko were by her side, to support her and see that the process that was about to take place went smoothly.

- "Are you ready? We will begin now." – said Gal after doing the final adjustments to the machine.

- "I'm ready."

- "Then please, lay down."

Shizuru did what she was told, but never parted her gaze from her beloved angel, who continued to scream and trash in agony. Gal turned on the machine, and Shizuru could feel how it was slowly sucking out her blood. It wasn't that painful, but she felt her body weakening with every passing second. She felt her consciousness leaving her. Ahn noted that Shizuru was getting pale, and had started to sweat a bit. She placed her hand over Shizuru's head in a sisterly way and said.

- "Hang in there, Shizuru-san, you can do it."

Upon hearing Ahn's words, a wave of energy came to Shizuru, and she thought.

- "That's right. I have to resist for Natsuki. I won't die! I won't give up."

Youko was amazed by the strength and determination that Shizuru showed. Anyone else would have fainted by now, but not this girl. Youko now understood why Midori had been intrigued by her majesty and this girl the moment they were taken in. The process of extracting Shizuru's blood finished moments before Duran's repairs. Apparently, the machine processed the blood for the Aswads' purposes, which was why it had been a long procedure.

Shizuru was able to endure it without passing out, though she felt a bit worn-out from it. And now she was sitting on the floor next to Natsuki, who was still lying on the stretcher that had been placed on the floor when they arrived. Natsuki was not moving violently anymore, and in fact she was lying there peacefully. Her breathing was normal, and her pulse had gone back to normal as well.

Natsuki opened her eyes and scanned the room she was in, and then she sat up on the stretcher. That was when Youko began to unwrap the bandages on Natsuki's body. When all the bandages were removed, all the members of the Abaharaki were amazed by the sight: the blood was gone, and no bruises or scars were left behind.

- "Unbelievable…" – said Chie.

- "I can't believe it actually worked…" – whispered Midori. Unfortunately for her, Nao heard her and just raised an eyebrow questioningly, at to what Midori just cleared her throat.

Shizuru lunged herself at Natsuki and hugged her with the last bit of strength she had.

- "Natsuki! You're okay! I was so worried!"

- "Shizuru…"

Natsuki didn't understand at all what was going on. Her mind was still fuzzy and she couldn't recall what had happened. She was about to ask about it when Rad approached and gave her Duran, now fully restored, as if it was brand new.

- "We've done our part. It's time for you to leave."

Natsuki took Duran and stood up, but before she could ask what the meaning of all of this was, Rad spoke again.

- "You must not lose yourself in the path of revenge and wrath while using 'its' strength."

Shizuru also heard what Rad had said to Natsuki. Shizuru stood up as well, and, taking Natsuki's hand, she simply said.

- "Let's go, Natsuki."

Shizuru bowed a little to Rad and then started to walk out, pulling the raven-haired girl with her. Soon after, the members of the Abaharaki were following them. Once all of them were outside, the craft closed its gateway and disappeared the same way it had come. It took some altitude and then the dimensional portal opened. Natsuki was staring at it along with Shizuru, when suddenly the ruby-eyed girl leaned on Natsuki for a moment, trying to support herself. She then closed her eyes and passed out. This of course alarmed Natsuki, who was holding her close and shaking her a bit.

- "Shizuru? Are you alright? Shizuru!"

Youko come close to her and said.

- "Calm down, Natsuki-san; she's fine, just a little bit tired. Let's take her inside Gakutenou."

- "What the hell is going on? Why is Shizuru so exhausted?"

- "I'll explain everything to you, but first, I assume you want to take Shizuru-san to a better place." – said Midori.

Natsuki nodded and carried Shizuru in her arms all the way back. She went to their room and placed Shizuru on the bed, as Youko had ordered, though she had wanted to take her to the infirmary. Once Shizuru was on the bed, Natsuki proceeded to cover her body with the bed sheets. When this was done, she took a chair and sat aside the bed to look after Shizuru, just like she had done in the past. Midori and was also there, along with the other members that had been present during the whole ordeal.

Natsuki was staring worriedly at Shizuru when she merely asked.

- "What happened?"

- "Simply put, she saved your life." – replied Nao.

- "She saved my life?" – asked Natsuki baffled. – "What…?"

- "Looks like you don't remember it at all." – said Midori. – "Then let's start from what you do remember."

- "I…don't remember much…just that I was battling with the valkyries and with…Tomoe…" – explained Natsuki. – "After that, I just remember a lot of pain."

- "Ahn, I think you can tell more details to her majesty since you were there along with Shizuru-san." – said Midori.

- "Yes, well Natsuki-san, you see..." – Ahn began to say – "On our way to reach you, we saw that you had taken care of all the enemies, even the ones in the main square of the city. By the time we arrived, there were only you and the leader left. You were about to kill her when Shizuru suddenly asked me to assist her in stopping you. She didn't explain the reason, but I agreed to her request, and we did stop you before you could kill the leader…"

- "Why did you do that?" – interrupted Natsuki.

- "Please, let me continue." – said Ahn politely – "You will have to ask Shizuru-san about that; I just did what she asked of me. The enemy ran away, and just after that, Midori-san arrived with the rest."

- "We saw that you were barely standing and mumbling something – you wanted to continue fighting. And in your will to continue, you unconsciously exposed yourself." – said Midori.

- "I exposed myself…?" – Natsuki whispered, opening her eyes widely – "Then you know that I…"

- "Yes, we already know that you are an Otome." – replied Midori. – "After that revelation, you just collapsed, and we took you in for treatment. However, your wounds were not normal. You were not healing, even though you are an Otome. That was when Shizuru-san came to the rescue." – said Midori, looking at the sleeping Shizuru – "She told us how Duran and you were merged; so, if we didn't repair Duran, you would perish. And thanks to my high intellect, we were able to summon the Aswad clan to have them repair Duran. But even though we were able to summon them, we didn't have what they wanted in order to repair the gunblade. So, Shizuru-san asked them if there was something else we could give them in exchange. They agreed to that and analyzed all of us."

- "What did they ask for?" – asked Natsuki.

- "They wanted blood, Shizuru-san's blood." – said Youko.

- "What? Shizuru's blood? For what?"

- "They didn't go into much detail, but basically what they said was that it was necessary for their existence, and it turned out that only Shizuru-san had the type of blood they were looking for. So, when they stated their requirements, Shizuru-san agreed, even if it put her life in danger."

- "The quantity of blood they required would have put anyone in a life threatening situation." – explained Youko.

- "Nonetheless, Shizuru-san didn't think twice; she agreed right away. Her only purpose was to save your life, Natsuki-san." – said Ahn.

- "And you know the rest." – finished Midori.

Natsuki turned her gaze to Shizuru, who was still pale, her breathing a bit paused. She took Shizuru's hand in her own and caressed it softly. Natsuki hung her head so her bangs were covering her eyes, and then with a raspy voice she said.

- "Thanks for telling me…"

- "It was nothing. your majesty." – Midori noted that Natsuki squeezed Shizuru's hand tighter, so she said – "We'll leave you now. If you need anything, just let us know."

- "She'll be fine, Natsuki-san. Her life is not in danger any longer; she just needs to have a good rest." – Youko assured her.

After that, all the girls left the room, finally leaving Natsuki and Shizuru alone. Natsuki closed her free hand into a firm fist and rested it over her knee, and then her body started to tremble slightly as silent tears rolled down her porcelain cheeks. She tried to keep her sobs as low as she could.

Shizuru began to move a bit in her slumber. In her sleepiness, she was able to hear a low weep; it sounded so full of sorrow and guilt, so she opened her eyes tiredly and turned her head to the source of the crying, only to come upon the painful sight of her angel sobbing uncontrollably. She was too tired to try to move her hand up, so the only thing she could do was squeeze Natsuki's hand back to let her know she was awake. With a tired but tender voice she said.

- "Why is my Natsuki crying?"

Natsuki didn't lift her head. She felt so ashamed that she couldn't look Shizuru in the eyes now; she only kept sobbing. When Shizuru received no response, she asked again.

- "Natsuki? Why are you crying?"

Natsuki sniffled and, keeping her head still lowered, in a soft whisper she said.

- "I'm sorry, Shizuru, please forgive me."

- "What has Natsuki done to me that she's asking me for forgiveness?" – Shizuru asked tenderly.

Natsuki's fist tensed more and began to shake in anger. But Natsuki was not angry at Shizuru, no. She was angry at herself, and so, unable to contain it, she lifted her head and said, in a not-so-calm tone.

- "Damn it, Shizuru! It's my fault, entirely my fault that you are in this condition! That you had to almost sacrifice your life for my sake! If only I had controlled myself, this wouldn't have happened." – Natsuki said regretfully.

- "Ara, Natsuki shouldn't feel that way. I did it of my own volition. No one forced me into anything, and I was perfectly aware of the possible consequences." – said Shizuru, caressing Natsuki's hand softly.

- "But you could have died! Did you think about what would have happened to me if something went wrong? The mere thought of being without you is too painful! If that had happened then I…don't know what I would have done… I can't bear the idea of losing you…and all because of my imprudence."

- "Natsuki should know now, just for future reference, that I would do anything within my grasp and more for Natsuki's sake." – said Shizuru with determination and gentleness.

- "Why, Shizuru?" – asked Natsuki, a bit taken aback.

- "Silly Natsuki, I did it because I love you. I love Natsuki more than anything else." – said Shizuru – "Because I also wouldn't be able to stand the idea of a world without my Natsuki."

- "Shizuru…" – whispered Natsuki, feeling more tranquil now. Releasing Shizuru's hand for a second and entwining their fingers, she said – "I love you too, Shizuru. I would do anything for you. Not even all the stars in Earl's sky could surpass my love for you."

Shizuru blushed a bit at Natsuki's passionate and amorous words and honest confession. She let a small smile adorn her lips, as she felt sleep claiming her again. Natsuki noted the exhausted look in Shizuru's eyes, so she lifted Shizuru's hand and kissed it.

- "You have to rest to completely recover."

- "How many times has Natsuki watched over me, I wonder? I just hope it doesn't become a habit." – said Shizuru in weak attempt to tease.

- "I don't know, and I don't mind. I must say that you look pretty adorable while you're asleep; it's a breathtaking sight." – said Natsuki with a grin, which caused Shizuru to go red in the face again. Natsuki let out a soft giggle at her small victory in making Shizuru flush. Not wanting to keep her beloved awake more than necessary, she leaned in to kiss Shizuru on the lips delicately – "Sleep well, my love. I'll be here when you wake up."

A satisfied smile adorned Shizuru's lips as her eyes closed slowly. She felt relieved now, knowing that she was out of danger and, most importantly, that Natsuki was safe and feeling better, no longer blaming herself for what happened, at least for now. She knew that there were still some things that would need to be discussed once she had recovered, but at least this was a good start. With that thought in mind, Shizuru let slumber take over one more time, with the promise of a brighter and peaceful future in Earl alongside to her precious guardian angel.

TBC…

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I'll just add some extra notes here. As leebot said, Shizuru's blood is AB. It's a very uncommon type of blood so it really helped with the plot of the fic. Also it's a fact that the consequences for giving the amount of blood that Shizuru gave could be dangerous; I did some research in there so it would be more real.

Well, that's all.

Thanks for reading! And please leave a review!

See you around!

Shezaei neko


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait but at least here it is; a new chapter of this fic. Thanks to all of those who read and like my stories, but especially to those who drop a review. I hope you like this chapter.

As usual thanks to leebot-sensei for beta-ing the fic. Without his help this would be a mess.

Don't forget to review.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Everything is property of their respective authors, mostly Sunrise. – bummer –

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**Into the Another World – Chapter 9**

Shizuru opened her eyes lazily as she felt something soft and cold tenderly touch her face. She blinked a couple of times to focus. When she did, she noticed a couple of green eyes shining brightly at her; then she heard the sweetest sound she could ever hear: her Natsuki's voice saying her name tenderly.

- "Shizuru. Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Shizuru moved her head from side to side in a negative answer.

- "No Natsuki, you didn't wake me up. But may I know what my Natsuki is doing?"

- "I was just trying to cool you off a bit. You've been asleep for almost three green moons already. Youko told me it should be normal since you are recovering."

- "Thank you, Natsuki. You're very thoughtful." – she then glanced to the side and saw that on the night stand was a tray with food.

Natsuki saw where Shizuru was looking and said:

- "That's for whenever you feel hungry. Ers brought it per Youko's instructions. It has food that should be easy for you to eat; something edible as she put it. Would you like to eat something now?" – asked Natsuki, placing the cloth she'd been using to clean Shizuru's face in a bowl with fresh water.

- "Yes, I'm starting to feel a bit hungry." – said Shizuru, trying to get up from the bed.

Upon seeing her, Natsuki rushed to her side and helped her to sit on the bed with her back leaning against the bed frame.

Once Shizuru was placed in a comfortable position, Natsuki took the tray in her hands and held it in front of Shizuru while smiling so the brunette could pick something of her choice. Shizuru took what looked like a fruit and analyzed it for a moment. She'd never seen or eaten this fruit during her stay in Earl so she wondered what it tasted like. She gave a small bite to the fruit and immediately she closed her eyes due to its sour flavor.

- "What's this, Natsuki?" – asked Shizuru after she was finally able to swallow the piece of fruit she'd bitten off.

- "It's a piscus."

- "It's very sour." – said Shizuru, making a face.

- "I know, but it will make you feel better. It will give you energy." – replied Natsuki in an apologizing tone and while giving Shizuru a sheepish smile.

She knew better than anyone how sour the piscus was, but also she knew that indeed it gave you energy. Her mother used to give it to her after long days of practice and even during those rare occasions when she got sick. Shizuru saw tenderness in Natsuki's emerald eyes, which only meant that she remembered something important from her past. Shizuru smiled at Natsuki and continued eating the piscus. It was a bit difficult due to the sourness of the fruit, but some minutes after she finished eating it, she indeed felt more energetic than before.

Natsuki offered Shizuru something else to eat, but she politely declined, as she was feeling much better after eating the piscus. Shizuru was still seated on the bed with her back resting on the head-board when Natsuki took a seat on a chair by her side.

- "Are you feeling better?" – asked Natsuki caringly.

- "Yes Natsuki. Thanks to your care, I'm as good as new." – replied Shizuru sincerely.

Natsuki then took Shizuru's hand between her own hands and gave it a light squeeze. Shizuru met Natsuki's gaze, and she could see that Natsuki's eyes were showing some anxiousness. Something was bothering her beloved angel, and she was probably holding back for Shizuru's sake. However, Shizuru didn't like to see those kinds of emotions in Natsuki's precious eyes, so she asked.

- "What is it Natsuki? Is something bothering you?"

- "I…" – Natsuki averted her gaze, unable to articulate a word.

- "Tell me Natsuki, please."

- "I've wanted to ask you…but I should let you rest…" – said Natsuki trying to avoid the subject.

- "And I told you that I'm feeling much better now Natsuki. So, please? What is it that you want to ask me?"

Natsuki squeezed Shizuru's hand a bit tighter and, meeting her gaze, she said:

- "Why did you stop me, Shizuru?"

Shizuru was a bit taken aback by the question since she didn't quite understand what the raven haired girl was talking about. Natsuki noticed it and asked the question once more, but this time with more detail.

- "Why did you stop my fight with Tomoe? Why, Shizuru?"

Natsuki was shaking now. Shizuru didn't know if it was out of anger or sadness, but she had to explain to Natsuki her reasons since she didn't want her angel to fall into some kind of depression or despair due to this situation; or even more, to hate her due to it. This time, Shizuru took Natsuki's hand between hers and began to say.

- "I did it to save you, Natsuki. I know how important it was for you to eliminate Tomoe since she has brought only sadness and suffering to you and your people. But I couldn't let you finish her in the state you were in." – when Shizuru said those words, Natsuki locked her emerald eyes with Shizuru's ruby ones, surprised by the answer. Shizuru continued – "If I had let you kill Tomoe that way, you would have acted just like her. And because of that you would have felt ashamed of yourself, and that's something I could never bear see. I want Natsuki to win fair and square. I want Natsuki to be herself when finishing that issue. I want you stand proud in front of your people and the kingdom of Aries as their benevolent, just and magnificent sovereign; because it's in your face that I see honor, truth and loyalty." – finished Shizuru with determination, yet also kindness, in her voice.

Natsuki was at loss of words. She never expected Shizuru to say just what she said. Those words were too similar to what her father had said to her once when she was little and they were sparring just for fun. He had wished for Natsuki to be a greater sovereign than he was. Tears began to form in Natsuki's emerald eyes. How could she have doubted – even for split a second – Shizuru's reasons for stopping the battle? For a slight moment she thought of her act as foolish, inspired only by an irrational thought or feeling, but now after hearing such a significant motive she felt embarrassed of her way of thinking. The tears now rolling down Natsuki's cheeks were a collection of diverse emotions: shame, gratefulness, happiness, melancholy, but also fondness and love.

Shizuru leaned a little and placed her arms around Natsuki, enveloping her in an amorous and protecting embrace. Natsuki hugged Shizuru back with equal tenderness, but a bit carefully, so she wouldn't hurt her precious girl. Shizuru caressed Natsuki's raven tresses with her hand and planted soft kisses on her head. As time went by and Natsuki's tears stopped flowing, she thought.

- "I still can't believe how fortunate I am for having this wonderful person with me, by my side, loving me just the way I am; nothing more, nothing less. I'll have to thank the deities properly for sending her to me."

When Natsuki felt more calmed, she got apart from Shizuru and kissed her softly but lovingly. Shizuru was about to reciprocate the kiss with more passion when Natsuki pulled back. She was about to pout and tease her raven-haired girl for it, but when she saw Natsuki's eyes, she was left speechless. The look that Natsuki was giving her now, it was simply indescribable. In all their time together Natsuki had not looked at her in such a way. It was beyond overwhelming. Natsuki had cupped her cheek and had her lips parted. Shizuru could tell that Natsuki wanted to tell her something but the words were not coming out. However they weren't necessary, so Shizuru placed her hand over Natsuki's and replied.

- "You don't need to say it. I understand, Natsuki."

Shizuru's smile was as bright as the sun and so was Natsuki's, happy that her lover got the message she was trying to convey. Now Shizuru understood the words of a certain poet she had read some time ago, back on Earth; he had written that 'The look is the language of the heart,' and how true he was! She had proven correct his words with the look Natsuki had given her.

They stared at each other for more minutes, their gazes professing unspoken words of love and trust.

And they could have stayed like that for the rest of the day had it not been that Natsuki remembered something. She gave Shizuru a kiss on her hand and then said.

- "I almost forgot. Midori wants to talk to us. I told her we would do it until you gained your strength back."

- "Thank you for your consideration Natsuki. And did Midori-san tell you what she wants to talk about?"

- "No. But I can imagine she wants an explanation regarding the past events."

- "Do you think it is safe to tell her more about you?"

- "They have already discovered it, so it's okay. Besides, Midori might be a freaky historian but she's very reliable. What I'm more concerned about right now is you."

- "You don't have to be Natsuki, I'm feeling better."

- "I was not referring to your health Shizuru. I have this feeling that she might also know WHO you are."

- "You mean that Midori-san already realized that I…?"

- "Yeah, most likely. But she has not told anyone about it, it seems."

- "Would it be wise of us to confirm her suspicions?" – asked Shizuru.

- "To tell you the truth…I don't know…" – replied Natsuki with sigh – "I don't want her to look at you as if you were some kind of fantastic creature out of a fairy tale. She can be too obsessive sometimes."

- "Is Natsuki jealous that Midori-san might give me too much of her attention? Natsuki shouldn't worry, she knows that I'm only hers." – said Shizuru winking at Natsuki.

- "I didn't mean that!" – yelled Natsuki with her face tinted in a deep hue of red. Then she mumbled – "and I already know that…"

- "Ara…"

- "So…" – Natsuki began to say in order to cast away the blush in her cheeks – "Do you think that you'll be well enough tomorrow to talk with Midori?"

- "Yes, I think so Natsuki. If I rest all day today, by tomorrow my strength will be back. That way, I won't have to eat another piscus."

- "So you didn't like it after all, huh? I don't blame you, it's normal the first time you eat it. But later you get used to it. And it's worth the taste for all the healing properties it has." – said Natsuki, smiling.

After that, they continued chatting in the privacy of their room and spent the rest of the day there in each other's company. They didn't need anything else.

The next day the couple woke up a bit early. They changed into their daily clothes and Natsuki assisted Shizuru with going down to the kitchen to have breakfast. Erstin was already there preparing it when the couple arrived. Upon noticing them Erstin said.

- "Good morning, Natsuki-sama, Shizuru-sama! It's good to see that you are out of bed! You must be feeling better."

- "Thanks for your concern Erstin-san. I'm feeling better now, thanks to Natsuki." – replied Shizuru.

This of course earned two blushes: one from Natsuki, and the other from Erstin, who simply turned around after mumbling something and continued making breakfast.

Natsuki sat by Shizuru's side at the table after telling her not to say embarrassing things in front of other people. To which Shizuru replied.

- "I'm only telling the truth, Natsuki." – then she placed a kiss on the cheek of the raven-haired girl.

The girl of course blushed again and complained, but internally she smiled; she liked it when Shizuru showed her that she was loved. And also she didn't mind – or not too much at least – that Shizuru did this in front of Erstin. The respect the blonde girl had for them was too great for her to ever say or do anything that may put them in an uncomfortable situation. However, Shizuru understood better: it was because she also admired them and was somewhat jealous of their relationship. Which could only mean that Erstin still couldn't make her special person be that way with her.

Natsuki and Shizuru chatted for a while, also including Erstin in their conversation as they waited for breakfast to be ready. Soon, the other members of the Abaharaki showed up at the kitchen and greeted Shizuru, happy to see that she was doing pretty well after the ordeal they had to go through to help Natsuki. Without her knowing, with that act Shizuru had earned more respect from this amazing crew, so much that they already considered her one of them, along with Natsuki of course. In no time Midori appeared and she was more than pleased to see both girls out of their quarters. She had been waiting patiently for them to show up and, more importantly, to have that talk with them. Youko saw the excited look on Midori's face; she was like a small kid presented with a mountain of candies. So, before she let the hyperactive woman formulate any question, she said.

- "Midori, what about we have breakfast first and then you can play interrogation with Natsuki-san?"

- "I can do it while having breakfast!" – pouted Midori, like a spoiled child.

Seeing that Midori was being stubborn, Youko decided to use Midori's weakness against her.

- "And I thought that you were a historian." – she then sighed, to add a more dramatic effect.

- "What are you saying, woman! I AM a historian!" – exclaimed Midori, placing her fist over her chest in a theatrical pose.

- "Seeing how impatient you are with this matter, I'm beginning to think otherwise. Haven't you said that the most distinctive attribute of a historian is their patience? Since without it they wouldn't be able to find the most amazing discoveries? You are proving me wrong now."

- "You must be mistaken then. My patience could beat that of the monks of Fortuna Fortress. And I can show you that right now, since I am without doubt the best historian in Earl."

With that said, Midori occupied herself with eating her food and not even glancing in the direction of Natsuki and Shizuru. Everyone at the table was either smirking or amazed. It was so like Youko to control Midori in a way that no one else could, and of course Midori would be oblivious to that fact. They were also very thankful; they also wanted to be present during the talk Midori would have with her highness, but first they wanted to have a peaceful mealtime. Ahn chatted with Shizuru along with Aoi, while Nao and Chie chatted with Natsuki. From time to time, the others joined the conversation and everyone was part of it. They mostly talked about how things were going in Palas now that the invading army was repealed away, among other matters.

When the meal was over Erstin and Aoi cleaned up the table. Midori retreated to her study, but not before letting Natsuki and Shizuru know that she would be waiting for them there.

She didn't have to wait too long. Just minutes after she sat on the comfortable chair where she spent many hours reading books and scrolls and doing some research, the door opened and the girls came in accompanied by the girls of the Abaharaki that knew of Natsuki's secret. There were other members of the crew that weren't informed of it per Midori's instructions. She might be a history freak, but she knew that her majesty didn't reveal her secret for a reason; so she assumed that somehow she still wanted to keep it from others if possible. Natsuki and Shizuru sat in front of Midori as the others each found themselves a spot comfortable enough to listen in on their talk, which they presumed would take quite some time.

Natsuki was the first one to speak.

- "Midori and members of the Abaharaki; first of all I apologize for hiding my true nature from you, who have been nothing but kind and polite to us."

What she said left everyone taken aback, since they never expected for her majesty to say those words. Natsuki continued.

- "But as you may understand, it was not something that could be spoken of carelessly, since you know how my kind was treated and how their lives were taken when exposed. Truth be told, it was never my intention to reveal this secret to you, but the circumstances made it impossible for me to keep. I should also tell you more of myself and what I know of the ancient land of Garderobe and its inhabitants the Otome. I trust you now and I know that you will keep this secret for yourselves from now on too. And that you won't use this information for wicked purposes. "

Midori laughed a powerful and friendly laugh.

- "I expected nothing less from her highness, the ruler of Aries! To word such an honorable speech." – Midori stood up and said – "I'm pleased and honored to know that we've gained your trust to the extent that you will disclose such significant information. I vow to you here, that none of it will leave this room. For my pride and honor you have my word, Natsuki-san."

After that Midori put her hand on her chest, over her heart and bowed her head. The other members of the Abaharaki did the same. Even Shizuru made the same gesture, which earned a smile from Natsuki.

Natsuki then began to talk about herself and all that she knew about her Otome origins and their ancient land. She answered everyone's questions as best as she could, assuming she knew the answer, of course. After all, what she knew was what she had learned from her mother when she was a small child and also from her own research on the matter.

Midori took note of every piece of information, though no one knew if what she was writing was new for her or if she just wanted to confirm data she already had. But everyone was certain of one thing: she was delighted by this. Natsuki had been able to answer all of her questions so far. Shizuru was glad to see that Natsuki didn't look bothered by this; though she noted that she omitted some details. She had knowledge of them since Natsuki had told her some of them even before meeting the Abaharaki and before the 'incident'. Shizuru was extremely happy that Natsuki had shared with her those details since they were very private and intimate. This made her comprehend and confirm once more how much Natsuki trusted her, and for Shizuru this was a sign of how deeply Natsuki loved her.

A few hours passed and finally it seemed that Midori had run out of questions, much to the pleasure of Nao, who had been sitting all the time and now had a numb and flat butt, or so she said. Ahn gladly offered to help her with that situation but Nao just slapped the hands away. Also, Chie said.

- "Not that much was lost anyway…"

This of course earned laughs and giggles from everyone in the room as Nao gave Chie a deadly glare and promised to make her days miserable for the rest of her life. When Aoi saw that her girlfriend was about to taunt Nao more with another smart remark, she stopped her by elbowing in her stomach and giving Chie a menacing glare which was more effective than Nao's, at least for Chie.

After that, everyone left the room to continue with their respective responsibilities, leaving Midori, Natsuki and Shizuru alone. The caravan had left Palas two moons ago now, to continue on with their journey of escorting her majesty back to Aries, but not after assisting the citizens one last time.

Each one of the members of the Abaharaki that had been present were left impressed by all the information that they've heard from Natsuki. It was so surreal that it sounded as if it was taken from a children's bed-time story. But they knew better than anyone that it was true, since the words were spoken by the living proof herself. After this talk they didn't think of Natsuki as a menace due to her otome origins, like most people probably would have if they were to discover it. They really didn't think that the otome were cursed beings who only brought misfortune. And because of that Natsuki was very grateful. She had noticed that the girls of the Abaharaki had not treated her any differently from before; they were not afraid or uncomfortable with her presence in the room or when they came across her inside Gakutenou. Natsuki had, for a moment, feared that it may have happened since the fear of the otome was very unfathomable even if it was unproven. Gladly that was not the case with these girls, and she was content with that because it would have been very unpleasant for her to leave with Shizuru in bad terms with this people that she had come to care about in such a way.

When the Abaharaki girls left, Midori was still taking some last notes by her desk as she noticed that Natsuki and Shizuru had stayed behind. She couldn't figure out a reason as to why the girls were still there so she asked them.

- "Yes your majesty? Is there something I can do for you?"

- "Well Midori," – Natsuki began to say – "There's something else we want to talk to you about."

- "Alright. What is it?"

- "Would you mind if I close the door first? It's extremely confidential." – said Natsuki.

At this, Midori couldn't suppress some anxiousness and even some excitement from her eyes and posture – with this kind of secrecy it was without doubt quite important. So she just nodded her head, and Natsuki closed the door and even locked it. Then she went back to the seat she had occupied earlier, but this time Shizuru was sitting by her side. Midori encouraged the raven-haired girl to proceed.

- "Midori, what I'm about to tell you is of high importance. I relay this information to you since I know you are trustworthy and that you will keep this for you. I do this mainly so that if there is ever a time of need for your knowledge in regards of this matter, you would be more than able to help us with it."

- "Your highness, I'm quite flattered to know that you trust me this much. But I'm rather intrigued as well as to what matter could be of this high importance for you to reveal it only to me."

- "It's about Shizuru."

- "What about her?"

- "She…"

- "I think it's best if I tell her myself, Natsuki." – said Shizuru, interrupting her beloved.

Natsuki looked at her for a second and then nodded. Midori turned her attention to Shizuru with questioning eyes. When Shizuru noted that she had the leader's full attention, she said.

- "I'm not from Earl, Midori-san. I'm from the Earth; what you call the 'Guiding Star'."

Midori's eyes snapped open as big as plates. And her lips were parted, ready to formulate tons of questions, and the first one to come out was.

- "For real? How is this possible?"

- "Not even Natsuki or I are quite sure how it happened. But I assure you Midori-san that I'm not making this up. Even Natsuki has gone to the Guiding Star with me, if only for a short time."

Midori stared at her just a moment and then turned to Natsuki as if confirm what the brunette had said, which was confirmed by a nod from Natsuki. Then Midori simply smiled broadly and let out a laugh. She stood up from her spot and walked to one of her shelves piled with books to support herself.

- "For Shinso-sama! This is remarkable! I never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams that I would ever meet two beings that have hundreds of legends made out of them and their lands! More even, that the two would be in front of me at the same time!" – turning to her incredible guests she said – "You have to tell me everything about the Guiding Star."

- "Ara, that might take a while." – said Shizuru – "What if you ask me what you want to know the most?"

- "I think that's fair enough." – replied Midori with a smile.

Midori went back to her comfortable chair and began to ask Shizuru all she could think about the Guiding Star. She mostly tried to confirm legends or myths that were created about the time the Otome had left Garderobe; since it was said that Garderobe was located on the Guiding Star. However it seemed that this fact would remain a mystery, as neither Natsuki nor Shizuru could confirm it. That only meant that she would have to continue searching with hopes to finally have an answer to that question.

Hours passed until Midori once more was satisfied with all the data she'd gathered. It would last her for the next few lunar years, or so she hoped. She even asked Shizuru if she could ask her more in the future, to which Shizuru replied with a friendly tone that it would be fine as long as they were alone and with Natsuki present, of course. Midori agreed and shook hands with the brunette. Both girls stood up from their seats and went to the door. Opening it, they exited the room, leaving a hyper Midori behind. The confident leader rested her head back on her chair and meditated a little at everything that had transpired in that room. She still was unable to believe that she was giving shelter to these extraordinary – in many ways – girls. Also, she now understood Natsuki's words, the reason that they had given her this information. She smiled at how thoughtful the young ruler could be about the future. She was more than certain that Natsuki would become one of the best rulers Aries had ever had. Not a second after, she was up and searching in her bookshelves for books and scrolls like she usually did when getting a new piece of information.

Natsuki and Shizuru had walked back to their room and when they arrived, they closed the door, locked it, and dropped themselves onto the bed. Both girls were facing the wooden ceiling and their hands were intertwined. Shizuru heard Natsuki give a soft sigh. Turning her head to the side so she could see the features of her beloved angel, she asked.

- "What is it, Natsuki?"

- "That sure was tiring."

- "Yes, it was." – replied Shizuru with a soft giggle.

Contemplating Natsuki's face for a moment, she couldn't help but articulate a question that was bothering her, even though she had already discussed it with her angel before.

- "Natsuki, are you okay with Midori-san knowing about me?"

Natsuki turned her head to gaze directly at Shizuru's bewitching ruby eyes, then, smiling, she answered.

- "Yes. Are you not comfortable with it?"

- "I really don't mind as long as she keeps silent about it."

- "Then, is something else troubling you?"

- "Well…I just wanted to know the reason as to why Natsuki decided to let Midori-san know about me."

- "Ehm…that…." – Natsuki began to mumble, averting her gaze and blushing.

- "Yes, Natsuki?" – pushed Shizuru.

- "As I told her, I thought it would be important that she knew about you. Just in case we needed her. I mean, there's so much I don't know about the Guiding Star, and I wouldn't know what to do if you were in a pinch because of it. I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of my ignorance."

- "Natsuki…"

Shizuru leaned in and gave Natsuki's lips a soft, chaste kiss. When she pulled apart, she locked her eyes with Natsuki's and began to say.

- "I feel the same about you Natsuki. I know just a few things about you that you have told me, but still there's so much for me to know and to discover. It was thanks to what you have told me in the time that we have been together that I was able to help you before when your life was in danger, that I was able to relate Duran's connection to you. Now that I think about it, if it weren't for that, I would not have been able to assist you my beloved Natsuki; and just thinking about it makes me shiver." – tears started to form in Shizuru's eyes – "To think that I could have lost you due to my lack of knowledge, because I don't know you. It's something I don't want to experience again, Natsuki."

Natsuki was left speechless at Shizuru's statement. She had never thought about this before, how Shizuru had felt that time. It wasn't until now that she truly comprehended Shizuru's fears and insecurities, since were the same as hers, however none of them had voiced them out loud. But that had to change, so Natsuki cupped Shizuru's cheek and said.

- "I'm very sorry, Shizuru. I promise you that I won't let it happen again. I promise I will be more open with you from now on, and I want you to do the same with me okay? No secrets between us."

- "I will, Natsuki. I promise you." – replied Shizuru, leaning in once more to kiss Natsuki on the lips.

Before the kiss become deeper, Natsuki got apart and stared at Shizuru's ruby eyes. She was feeling a bit anxious after their talk with Midori, and, since she promised she wouldn't be hiding anything from Shizuru, she decided to speak her mind about a certain topic that made her a bit nervous.

- "Shizuru…"

- "Yes Natsuki?"

- "Well, now that we let Midori know about you, I couldn't help but think that certainly she will be coming to you again to question you about the Guiding Star. I've been thinking that since she's awfully obsessive with her investigation, she might ask you more about how you were able to come here and even try to reach the Guiding Star someday just as we did. And…"

Natsuki paused for a moment to gain some courage so she could say what was worrying her at this point.

– "And?" – said Shizuru, squeezing Natsuki's hand, prompting her to continue.

Natsuki bit her lip, and, with her voice shivering a bit, she continued.

- "If she tries to do so, she might find a way for you to go back… and I'm afraid that it might be done unwillingly. That you go back to the Guiding Star out of the blue. Moreover that then we won't know a way to bring you back." – said Natsuki with unshed tears building up in her eyes – "I don't want that to happen! I want to be with you forever, Shizuru!"

It was now Shizuru's turn to be surprised by Natsuki's declaration. She never thought of the possibility of going back to Earth even if given the chance. And now she pondered for a second that they had indeed been very lucky to go back and forth that time – when they were in the cave after Tomoe's first attack to them and in the stone garden back in Earth – since they had no idea how to do it or how it happened. Also now, there was a slight chance that they might go back again without their knowing. Thus now with Midori investigating more about this, there was a higher probability that it could occur. This also made her feel anxious, but then Haruka's words came to her mind.

- "I have to keep my dream alive. And I won't let anything keep me away from it!" – thought Shizuru with resolve.

Shizuru placed her fingers on Natsuki's chin and tilted it up so she could stare directly at the emerald orbs. Pouring all the heart and confidence into her voice, Shizuru said.

- "There's nothing to fear, my Natsuki. I certainly don't know how I was able to come here in the first place, or how we were able to go to the Earth and come back here. But I'm sure of one thing, Natsuki." – she cupped Natsuki's cheek – "_Here_ is where I want to be. I want to be by Natsuki's side too. So there's nothing to be afraid of, my Natsuki. My dream and wish is to be with you forevermore. Nothing will tear us apart." – she then proceeded to seal that promise with a kiss.

Natsuki smiled into the kiss as tears stopped forming in her eyes. Shizuru got just a bit apart, and, still cupping Natsuki's cheek, she said.

- "If Natsuki wishes, we can ask Midori-san not to venture in that kind of research, so you will be at ease."

- "Yeah, I'd like to do that."

- "Then we'll let Midori-san know after supper today, okay?"

- "Okay. Thanks, Shizuru."

- "There's nothing to thank me for, Natsuki."

They stayed in a comfortable silence for some minutes until Shizuru spoke again.

- "Natsuki…"

- "Yes?"

- "Would you mind singing the lullaby of Garderobe for me?"

Natsuki saw how Shizuru's eyes were shining with her plea, and she looked very much like a child asking for sweets. Unable to contain herself at the image displayed before her, she hugged Shizuru affectionately so the brunette's head was resting on her chest.

- "My mother used to name it 'Sora'."

- "Sora…" – whispered Shizuru.

Then Natsuki began to sing in a low voice so only Shizuru could hear that lovely melody that the girl held dear now in her heart.

Hearing Natsuki's melodic and sweet voice, Shizuru began to drift off to sleep. Soon after, she was asleep in the arms of her angel.

Natsuki watched Shizuru sleep peacefully in her arms and wished for that moment to repeat many times in the future. She would make sure of it, with all her might.

Natsuki noted that they weren't far from Aries now; maybe in a couple of days they would be reaching the kingdom.

She couldn't wait to arrive to Aries and present Shizuru as her partner and companion, and even more, as the future queen. She couldn't suppress the smile that formed on her lips at the thought.

She definitely couldn't wait to arrive.

TBC…

* * *

Wai! Wai! Another chapter done. Hope you liked it.

As you see they are closer to Aries now. What will await for them there? You will have to wait to find out.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.

See you around.

Shezaei neko


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